If "interview strangers to spend time with mom in her own home" is on your caregiving bingo card, payroll, taxes, and background checks are probably on there too. Before you start dialing random numbers, read our guide to hiring home care. 

Less exciting than yelling BINGO, but the prize is a lot better.

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At some point, Mom needing a little more help turns into hiring help.

In 2026, private-pay non-medical home care runs about $35 an hour nationally. And no, Medicare generally does not cover long-term non-medical help at home. It may cover limited skilled home health in certain situations, but not the ongoing “come help Mom shower, eat, get dressed, and stay safe” kind of care. That makes this an expensive thing to get wrong.

Home care usually means non-medical support at home: companionship, meals, bathing, dressing, transportation, light housekeeping, dementia supervision and medication reminders.

A non-nurse aide can often remind Mom to take medication from a pre-sorted pill box. But administering medication, like measuring doses, giving insulin, applying prescription patches, changing dosages or deciding what to do when Mom refuses, is usually nurse territory. Rules vary by state, of course. 

When it comes to hiring, this is not The Cheesecake Factory with a 30-page menu. You’ve basically got two options: agency or private hire.

Option one: Use an agency

An agency costs more because you are buying infrastructure. A reputable agency should screen caregivers, run background checks, handle payroll taxes, carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation, create a care plan, supervise the aide, and send a replacement when they call out sick.

Agencies often cost more than hiring someone directly. But the tradeoff is that you are not personally managing every piece of the job.

Ask questions that make them prove they're worth the overhead:

Option two: Hire privately

A private hire can be cheaper and more consistent. You may get the same person every day. You may have more flexibility. You may also save money. You're also now a recruiter, scheduler, payroll department, HR, backup plan, and quality control.

Private hire also means payroll, too. Do not assume you can hand someone a 1099 and call it a day. The IRS may consider you a household employer. In plain English: if you control what work is done and how it is done, the person is usually your employee, not an independent contractor.

For 2026, if you pay any one household employee $3,000 or more in cash wages, you generally owe Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you pay $1,000 or more in any calendar quarter, federal unemployment tax may also apply.

You may need an EIN, Form I-9, a W-2, Schedule H filed with your tax return, and state unemployment or workers’ compensation compliance depending on where you live. Start with IRS Publication 926: Household Employer’s Tax Guide and IRS Topic No. 756. Then call a CPA or household payroll service before you get creative with Venmo emojis.

When interviewing a private caregiver, skip “tell me about yourself”. Ask what they would actually do in Mom’s house:

Listen for patience. Listen for judgment. Listen for whether they understand their own limits. Then do a paid trial shift before you commit.

Before you hire anyone, write down the actual job, less: “Help with Mom” and more like: “Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 1pm. Breakfast, shower cueing, laundry, medication reminder, walk around the block, and a note to daughter after each shift.”

Include what she actually needs:

Keep in mind, the first person you hire, may not be the best person. With an agency, call the supervisor, explain what is not working and ask for a replacement. Be specific: missed shifts, safety concerns, poor communication, boundary issues, or anything that made Mom uncomfortable. With a private hire, you are the one doing the dumping. Write down what happened, pay every hour owed through the last day worked, and keep the conversation brief and factual.

The menu may be short, but the standard is high: Mom should feel safe, respected, and well cared for in her own home.

Here’s last week’s results. Another quiz drops next week.

You said it. This week’s submissions.

"The forgetfulness is back... so hard not to lose my patience."

"Mom's friend in her new community has been a resource to me in caring for Mom."

"My sister asked if I saw the email from Dad about their estate planning documents and thanked me for talking to them about it."

"Mom has an Android, the rest of the family has an iPhone, and nobody can help her when there are issues."

"The humor/irony when my mom talks about how bad other drivers are and I'm sitting there gripping the door handle the whole time."