Most families size a shift by the hands-on help they need. That misses the errands. Errands fill the visit, the visit runs long, and the total grows. Count them first.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Write the errand list before you ask for hours
Take one full week. Write down every trip, call, and pickup the household makes for the person being helped. Include the grocery run, the bank, the post office, the returns counter, the hardware store, the dry cleaner, and any mail that has to go out. For each one, note the place, the day, and the door-to-door time.
Sort each errand into one of three bins
Bin one holds errands a caregiver can do alone inside the visit, such as a short store run with a written list. Bin two holds errands that need a family member to sign, decide, or pay. Bin three holds errands nobody can do without a car or a second person.
Only bin one goes on the visit sheet. Bin two stays with the family. Bin three is where the gap lives. Mark it in red so nobody skips it.
Set the shift length from bin one
Add up the time for bin one. Add the time to put things away and to return home. That total is your starting shift length. If the total runs long, move the longest errand to a family member on a fixed day, and take it off the visit.
Ask the agency these questions
Ask which errands are inside the visit and which are not. Ask whether a caregiver can buy an item and how the household is repaid. Ask whether the caregiver uses your car or their own, and who handles fuel. Get each answer in writing before the first shift.
If you want to see how the monthly cost is built from hours, read How the monthly cost is built. Then keep the errand list on the refrigerator, and update it the week anything changes.