Non-medical home care costs a national median of $35 an hour, per the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 published by Genworth — and that is the figure most families weigh when they arrange respite in-home care. Respite care is simply short-term help that comes to your parent's home so the person who normally cares for them — usually a spouse or an adult child — can rest, run errands, go to their own doctor, or take a trip without worry.
If you are the one doing most of the caregiving, this page is for you. Respite is not a luxury and it is not a failure. It is how caregivers keep going without burning out. Below is what it costs, what it covers, how to choose a provider, and how to set it up.
What respite in-home care actually is
Respite means a break. In-home respite brings a caregiver to your parent's own home to take over the daily tasks you usually handle — for a few hours, a weekend, or longer. Your parent stays in familiar surroundings, and you get real time off.
Most respite is non-medical, personal care: help with bathing, dressing, meals, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and companionship. Some agencies also offer skilled respite with a nurse when a parent has medical needs like wound care or injections. The kind you need depends on your parent's health, not on your schedule alone.
- A few hours a week so you can shop, exercise, or see friends
- A full day while you work
- An overnight or weekend so you can sleep or travel
- A week or two to cover a family caregiver's own surgery or vacation
What it costs and what drives the price
For in-home help, you generally pay by the hour. Non-medical home care costs a national median of $35 an hour, per the CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025 published by Genworth — a figure that rose about 3% year over year. What you actually pay swings above or below that median depending on where you live, the time of day, and how skilled the care needs to be.
If your goal is daytime coverage on a budget, an adult day program is often cheaper than one-on-one home care. Adult day care runs $80 to $130 a day nationally — roughly $1,700 to $2,800 a month at five days a week, per the CareScout Cost of Care Survey published by Genworth. Your parent goes to a center for meals, activities, and supervision, and you get the day back.
What pushes the price up: overnight and weekend shifts, holidays, dementia experience, hoyer lifts or two-person transfers, and short-notice bookings. What can bring your out-of-pocket cost down: a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver if your parent qualifies, VA benefits for veterans and surviving spouses, long-term care insurance, or a local Area Agency on Aging respite grant. Medicare generally does not pay for non-medical respite at home, though it covers limited respite under the hospice benefit.
Respite through an agency vs a private caregiver
You have two main ways to hire. An agency handles screening, insurance, taxes, and backup coverage — you pay more per hour for that peace of mind. Hiring a private caregiver directly usually costs less, but you become the employer, which means vetting, taxes, and finding a fill-in when they call in sick.
How to choose a good provider
The cheapest option is rarely the right one, and the fanciest brochure means little. What matters is whether your parent is safe and comfortable with the person who shows up. Trust the meeting more than the marketing.
- Confirm the agency is licensed in your state and carries liability and workers' comp insurance
- Ask how caregivers are screened — background checks, references, training
- Ask about experience with your parent's specific needs (dementia, mobility, a feeding tube)
- Find out the minimum shift length — some require four hours or more
- Ask who covers a shift if the assigned caregiver is sick
- Insist on meeting the caregiver before the first shift, with your parent present
How to arrange it
- 1List the exact hours and tasks you need covered — be specific about days, times, and what help matters most.
- 2Check whether Medicaid, the VA, long-term care insurance, or your Area Agency on Aging can help pay.
- 3Get 2-3 quotes from licensed agencies (or vet private candidates) and compare rates and minimum shifts.
- 4Meet the caregiver with your parent before the first visit to confirm the fit.
- 5Write down routines, medications, likes, and dislikes so the caregiver can step in smoothly.
- 6Start with a short trial shift, then adjust hours once you see how it goes.
How respite fits with keeping a parent safe at home
Respite covers the hours when someone is physically present. But there are stretches in between — the quiet afternoons, the evenings after the aide leaves — when a parent living alone can feel isolated or forgotten. A daily phone check-in can help fill that gap. Call Mabel is a warm daily check-in companion that calls your mom or dad on their regular phone, has a real conversation, and lets you know how they sounded. It is a complement to hands-on care, not a replacement for it — and it is not medical or emergency monitoring. Compared with in-home care that runs well over $5,000 a month for full coverage, a daily call is a small way to stay connected on the days no one can be there in person.
Think of the whole picture as layers: hands-on help for the physical tasks, respite so the family caregiver can rest, adult day programs for structured social time, and a daily check-in for the hours in between. Few families need all of it — but knowing the options makes it easier to build the right mix for your parent.
- ✓Respite in-home care is a normal, necessary break — not a sign you're failing.
- ✓Budget around the $35/hour national median for non-medical home care, and explore Medicaid, VA, and Area Agency on Aging help.
- ✓Agencies cost more but handle screening, taxes, and backup coverage.
- ✓Always meet the caregiver with your parent before the first shift.
- ✓Layer respite with adult day programs and daily check-ins to cover the whole week.