My mom has dementia. She can feed, dress, shower herself but will not do anything unless she is told and you are right there to make sure she does it. I am looking for a care giver to come in each day to help but I’m not sure for how many hours? She has my dad with her but at 92 he can not keep up with daily care. His mind is sharp but physically he prefers and does take care of himself and that is all he can handle now. They are in a partial care community that provides all of their meals.
Will she get up, shower properly, brush her teeth, toilet properly and get dressed appropriately with no help or direction?
Does she fix breakfast or go to breakfast with no help or cues? (Other than from your dad who is probably going to breakfast with her)
If she can do all that with no help...great!
Does she use the bathroom or is she incontinent? If she is incontinent then you would need someone pretty much all day so that proper change and cleaning can be done.
Does the Community where they live also provide Assisted Living? If so moving their care to AL would be the way to progress. The staff could check on her often but not be there constantly.
The staff in the Community should also encourage her to participate in activities.
At some point, and it is probably soon that she should transition to Memory Care. There is a very real possibility that in an "open" community she could wander off and not be able to find her way back.
Anyway...The number of hours that you would need someone depend greatly on what you want them or need them to do.
If the Community does AL also they may have restrictions on hiring outside help and may require an "upgrade" to AL and or hire from an "approved" agency. Often facilities have agencies they work with so they know staff and proper "vetting" has been done.
Right now, if your mom isn't a "fall risk" then you would be able to hire a companion aid, which is the least expensive type. They can help with hygiene and "entertainment", light housekeeping for your mom, laundry, light exercise, etc.
In my experience the "best" aids want the best hours, so if you did 30 hrs a week, this would be attractive to someone and easier for the agency to schedule. Keep in mind that your mom's needs will increase and we are currently in a labor shortage with no end in sight (due to shift in age demographics) so you want to find someone who is a really good fit and hold on to them. At some point this person can do both your parents as your dad's need for help will surely increase as well.
For now, this is more affordable than a facility, but eventually 24/7 care will cost more than a facility.
You do have the option to hire privately, but IMO this is a lot of work and basically can make you a literal employer (depending on the labor laws in your state), with you having to comply with tax withholding, reporting, W2 or 1099 submission, etc. You would also need to do background checks on whomever you hire.
We have used agency aids through Visiting Angels in south FL and have had an excellent experience.