Caregiver agencies in Montgomery County?

[Anonymous]

Looking for a caregiver agency for my mom. We need someone who can assist my mom directly, drive her to appointments, and do light meal prep and housekeeping for maybe 12 hours a week. I got a quote for Visiting Angels for that for $35 an hour. Are there any agencies that will charge a little less for those services? Every dollar counts.

[Anonymous]

That is a good price for all you are asking and most places required a minimum of 4 hours a day.

I do know someone who hired through care.com for a good deal, but it was shady. Payment was cash, the person barely spoke English and did not have a driver's license. That was a full time gig where they paid less than going rate, but I think they had a separate meal service.

Also, be careful. If you expect too much of the person and it's not even a full time job the person may leave for something better. Once families have been at this you realize you are fortunate to just have someone trustworthy who your parent likes. When we needed to ask more (driving, bathing) we gave generous tips on a regular basis so he didn't have to keep dealing with new caregivers.

[Anonymous]

No, and $35 is pretty cheap.

[Anonymous]

If you're in Montgomery county, make sure to apply for respite care assistance: https://thearcmontgomerycounty.org/what-we-do/respite/overview-respite.html