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Care Types

Hourly Care

Also called: visit-based care, shift care, part-time care

Visit-based care billed by the hour with a four-hour minimum — used for predictable daily routines or supplemental shifts.

Hourly care is the most common scheduling model in non-medical home care. A caregiver arrives at a set time, completes the tasks in the care plan — bathing, meal prep, medication reminders, light housekeeping, an outing — and leaves at a set time. Shifts run anywhere from the four-hour minimum up to a full 12-hour stretch, and a week can be built from a single morning visit, a daily two-block routine, or seven-day continuous coverage.

The four-hour minimum exists for two reasons. First, recruiting and retaining a quality caregiver requires offering shifts long enough to be worth the commute and worth taking. Second, anything shorter rarely accomplishes what families actually want — a meaningful bath, a real meal, a walk, and observation time all stacked into one visit. Drop-in 30-minute visits are a different model that we do not staff because they reliably underdeliver.

In Southeast Michigan, hourly care prices off the underlying care tier rather than the schedule itself. Companion-level hourly visits run $27–$32/hr; personal-care hourly visits run $29–$37/hr; specialized hourly shifts (dementia, post-stroke, two-person transfers) run $35–$42/hr. The hour rate is the same whether the family books one shift a week or thirty.

Typical hourly schedules include: a four-hour morning block (bath, breakfast, medication, light cleaning) five days a week; a split morning + evening pattern for dementia clients who need help bookending the day; weekend-only respite for a working family caregiver; and 12-hour day shifts paired with overnight live-in or shift coverage to build out 24-hour care.

Operationally, hourly care assigns a small consistent caregiver team — usually two or three people in rotation — so the same familiar faces handle the regular shifts and trained backups cover sickness or vacation. Schedules are confirmed in our system the week before, and any caregiver substitution is communicated proactively rather than after the fact.

The honest limit: hourly care works only when the gap between visits is safe. The moment a client cannot reliably stay alone — wandering, frequent falls, severe sundowning, hospice transition — the schedule needs to extend toward live-in or 24-hour shift care. We will say so directly during the assessment rather than letting the family discover it after an incident.

Frequently Asked

Why is there a four-hour minimum?

A four-hour block lets the caregiver actually accomplish what families need — a real bath, a meal, medication reminders, light housekeeping, and observation time — and makes shifts long enough to attract and retain quality staff. Shorter visits reliably underdeliver, so we do not staff them.

How much does hourly home care cost in Southeast Michigan?

Companion-level hourly care runs $27–$32/hr, personal care runs $29–$37/hr, and specialized care runs $35–$42/hr through an agency in Southeast Michigan. The hour rate is the same whether you book one shift a week or thirty.

When is hourly care no longer enough?

When the gap between visits stops being safe — frequent falls, wandering, severe sundowning, or hospice transition — families move from hourly to live-in or 24-hour shift care. We will say so directly at assessment rather than waiting for an incident.

Will the same caregiver come every shift?

A small rotating team of two or three caregivers handles the regular schedule, with trained backups for sickness or vacation. Substitutions are communicated proactively before the shift, not after.

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