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hello, ive been asked to help care for an elderly woman, mostly house cleaning with light meal cooking, once to twice a week. my question is what should i charge? a friend of ours is caring for an elderly friend and she cant do it everyday and she asked me if id help out. go there once or twice a week, clean, make sure she eats breakfast/lunch.now i havent met the lady yet and i havent seen the house, but the friend that asked me i know to be very clean and metriculous, so id really be shocked if the ladys house is trashed. but my friend asked me what id charge and i want to be fair, but i dont want to sell myself short either.im in santa maria ca, if this matters. its a private home,the lady is 92.shes not to the point of diapers, or i would refuse the job ( out of my range) any sugestions? thanks!!

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thanks guys, i agree with carol too, im not going to take on more than i can,being superwoman here is exauhsting enough! no, i can do cleaning for a few hours, make some pocket money, but any kind of care, or if she needs too much care, then im not going to do it. i know my limits, thank God...thanks!!
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In our area, paid caregivers get $15 - 20/hr. for personal care (non-medical, no lifting, etc.) and light housekeeping (vacuuming, dusting, cleaning kitchen and bath.) One of my Mom's caregivers works through an agency, so they screen candidates and provide some insurance. The other works privately. Both have been great.
I did call several businesses that do house cleaning only...they wanted to charge anywhere from $85-100/hr. for cleaning a one-bedroom apartment! (wow, I need to change professions!)
I agree with Carol - know what you are getting into. Visit the home before you commit. Maybe it is a good idea to stick to the housekeeping part only until you can assess the situation.
good luck
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I'd see what cleaning services charge in your area. Just make some phone calls. Then, if you want to go slightly lower, you could (since you are independent).

Please be careful about any personal care you give. If the woman gets hurt while you are caring for her, you could run into problems with her family.

Most families would be grateful for the help, but there are people who will be suspicious, too. I'm just trying to alert you that there are some "dangers" in going in to care for an elder when you aren't bonded and licensed. Take care of yourself by checking your state laws.

Good luck,
Carol
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