Whether your older loved one needs a caregiver to look out for their safety, or simply requires more assistance through the night than you can provide, you might be considering overnight care—and wondering what to budget for it.
Here, we discuss the basics of overnight caregiver services and what you can expect to pay for them.
What is overnight care?
Overnight care is as individualised as any other type of care. Some agencies provide “sleepover” nights, where the carer sleeps on the premises for a continuous period of 8 hours and is on hand to provide care if required, and some provide “active night support”, where the caregiver is awake and on duty for a period of around 8 hours.
Overnight care typically falls into two categories, which impact roles as well as pay:
- Overnight hourly caregivers
- Live-in caregivers
Like daytime care services, overnight caregiving responsibilities generally depend on an elderly person’s needs. Some clients need assistance with medications or visiting the toilet during the night. Sometimes, clients with dementia will suffer from sundowning, which often manifests itself in wakefulness and wandering at night.
With both overnight care and live-in care, activities are personalised in collaboration with family members, the case manager, any medical professionals involved in care, and the client, as appropriate. However, it’s worth noting that tasks included in the plan of care are often quite specific and non-medical in nature, as the caregiver might not necessarily be qualified and licensed to provide medical support.
The most common overnight caregiver responsibilities are as follows:
- Preparing the care recipient for bed: going to the toilet or using a bedside commode
- Reminding them to take medications
- Changing clothes, if needed
- Oral care
- Tucking them into bed
- Assisting with any of these needs throughout the night
An active night caregiver is expected to remain awake during the night shift in case the care recipient wakes up and requires assistance. However, there’s some flexibility regarding whether they remain in the same room or in a nearby room.
A live-in caregiver, by contrast, remains in the patient’s home for 24-hour shifts, 3 to 4 days a week. These caregivers typically do sleepover nights, where they sleep at night along with the client but can be woken to provide assistance if needed.
What you can expect to pay for overnight care
Typically, overnight caregivers are paid an hourly rate. However, the amount will vary based on a range of factors, including:
- Your location
- The elderly person’s needs
- Whether you are going through an agency or hiring an independent caregiver
- Whether you are hiring a live-in or an overnight hourly shift caregiver
- What experience and certifications the caregiver has
According to Careseekers, active overnight carers are typically paid between $40 and $50 per hour. The pay for sleepover support workers will vary depending on whether they’ve had to actively perform any work during their 8-hour shift. For example, if they aren’t required to get up and perform any work, they are paid the sleepover allowance. If they are required to wake up and perform care duties, they are paid the sleepover allowance and at least 1 hour of pay at overtime rates.
The cost to the client for live-in care will also vary. Different rules apply to 24-hour care shifts. Please head to Fairwork.gov.au to find out more about this.
How to find out the standard rates for your location
Hourly rates and live-in rates vary by both region and agency. Resources that can help you determine the rates for your area include:
- Referral sites that list agencies
- Your insurance company
- Local home health and nursing agencies or assisted-living facilities
- Looking at caregiver listings on Care.com
- Word of mouth
Remember, if you offer less than the average rate for your area, you will either find no-one to fill the position, or will only attract poor candidates. The better you pay, the better your candidates will be.
Families also need to remember that if they aren’t hiring a caregiver through an agency, but directly, they are considered employees rather than independent contractors, and this means that families are responsible for withholding tax and making super contributions.
The bottom line: Opting for a live-in caregiver can be very cost-effective if your older loved one can’t be left alone. They’ll effectively have someone with them who is available 24/7 but isn’t being paid for the full 24 hours, which could result in less expense than hourly care.
Ultimately, figuring out which type of overnight caregiver is right for you, your elderly loved one, and your budget is a highly personal decision that’s worth researching before making a final call.