Federal Way, Washington · King County

Find In-Home Caregivers in Federal Way, WA

Senior care at home in Federal Way and the rest of south King County: write down the hours and tasks your parent needs, see which caregivers could reach the house, and hire the person you pick directly.

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How to find an in-home caregiver in Federal Way

Federal Way is a King County city of 99,729 people in the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate (101,028 at the April 2020 base). The ACS 2020–2024 profile counts 14,965 residents aged 65 or older, 15.0% of the city; a third of them (33.7%) report a disability, and 29.0% of the city's households count at least one person that old.

Language shapes hiring here. The same survey finds that 42.1% of Federal Way residents aged five and up report speaking a non-English language in their homes (Spanish 16.2%, Asian and Pacific Islander languages 13.4%), and 31.9% were born outside the United States. If your father relaxes most in Spanish, Korean or another first language, make that language the opening words of the post.

There is no agency in the middle on CaregiverConnect. You list the care (getting up and showered, meals, a ride to St. Francis Hospital, an afternoon of company), name the hourly rate you can offer, and talk to whoever replies. The cards above update when new caregivers sign up and are ordered by distance from 98003, 98023, 98063 and 98093; a wider radius adds people from the south King and north Pierce County communities that the Federal Way Senior Center also serves.

Available now

Private in-home caregivers near Federal Way, WA

Independent caregivers with profiles on CaregiverConnect whose home base is within 50 miles. You agree on duties, schedule and pay directly with the person you hire.

Caregiver in Federal, WA

about 2 mi from Federal Way · 6+ yrs experience

Personal careMeal prepMedication remindersTransportationOtherfull-timeHas vehicle

$30/hrSee full profile

1 of 1 available caregiver within 50 miles of Federal Way, nearest first. Names, photos, bios, references and the Verified badge details are shown once you create a free family account; this public page keeps caregivers anonymous.

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What you can post

Types of in-home care families in Federal Way arrange

All non-medical. For nursing tasks (injections, wound care, catheters) you need a licensed home health agency, not a private caregiver.

Senior care at home · Personal care · Companion care · Dementia care · Respite care · Overnight and live-in · Post-surgery recovery · Part-time and flexible

Choosing well

Evaluating caregivers in Federal Way

Washington certifies its paid long-term care workforce through the Department of Health. Unless an exemption applies (relatives caring only for family are one), home care agency staff, adult family home and assisted living caregivers, and Individual Providers paid by DSHS complete 75 hours of approved training and pass the home care aide exam. DOH also says people paid neither by the state nor by an agency or facility it licenses are not long-term care workers, so a caregiver your family pays out of pocket does not need the credential. If someone says they hold it, or a nursing assistant credential, look them up in DOH's provider credential search. The exam is given in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Tagalog and other languages.

The Washington State Patrol's WATCH service gives an instant online record check for $11. It searches by name rather than fingerprints and shows the public convictions, arrests under a year old with charges pending, and registered sex or kidnapping offenders. Get the caregiver's consent before running it, speak to two families they worked for, and book a paid trial visit. CaregiverConnect does not screen, check or vouch for anyone on the site.

Questions families here ask at interview

My father switches to his first language when he is tired. Do you speak it, or any language besides English?
Do you hold a home care aide or nursing assistant credential that I can look up with the Department of Health?
Are you comfortable with a WATCH record check through the Washington State Patrol before the first shift?
If my mother is approved for WA Cares or Medicaid in-home care, would you be hired through Consumer Direct Care Network Washington so the program pays you?
Can you drive her to St. Francis Hospital and wait, or should we book the Hyde Shuttle on those days?
What do you charge for daytime company, and how much more for bathing, overnights or Sundays?
If you fall ill, who covers, and how much warning would we get?

Schedules and cost

What in-home care costs in Federal Way: hourly rates and schedules

Typical Federal Way requests: an early visit so a parent is washed, dressed and medicated before the rest of the family leaves for work; a weekday block of company, housework and lunch; a weekly run to the pharmacy, groceries and doctor; and overnight or weekend relief for the adult child doing most of the care. While a WA Cares or Apple Health application is being assessed, a private caregiver can fill the gap, and the same person can sometimes be hired onto the program afterwards.

Reference point	Hourly	Source
Employed aides, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metropolitan area (King, Pierce and Snohomish counties)	$23.18 median	BLS OEWS, May 2025
Washington minimum wage	$17.13	effective January 1, 2026
Agency non-medical caregiver, Washington hourly median (CareScout 2025)	$45.00	CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025

Who is the employer. When you hire a caregiver directly, you are the employer. The Washington minimum wage is $17.13 an hour (effective January 1, 2026); the federal minimum of $7.25 and federal overtime rules apply to directly employed caregivers unless the work is exempt companionship under the FLSA. Source: US Department of Labor, direct care workers; the state source is listed at the end of this page.

In May 2025 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro employed 54,670 home health and personal care aides whose hourly median was $23.18 (mean $23.80); its nursing assistants earned a $25.00 median, and Washington's aide median was $22.95. CareScout's 2025 Washington figures are $45 an hour for an agency non-medical caregiver, $8,580 a month for 44 hours a week, and $249 a day for adult day health care. The state minimum wage is $17.13 in 2026, and L&I has announced $17.73 from January 1, 2027. Federal Way does not appear on L&I's 2026 list of local minimum wages; unincorporated King County does, with rates by employer size, so check the address if your parent lives just outside city limits. Private rates usually land between the BLS median and the CareScout agency rate.

No agency tracks private rates. A caregiver you hire directly will usually expect more than the employed-aide median and less than an agency rate; every caregiver on this site lists an hourly rate on their profile, and the hiring guide covers taxes and overtime.

Local help

Caregiver resources for families in Federal Way

Community Living Connections, Aging and Disability Services (Seattle-King County AAA)206-962-8467 or 1-844-348-5464, free and confidential. ADS is King County's Area Agency on Aging; its caregiver specialists connect unpaid family caregivers with support groups, counseling and other help. Caregiver information line: 206-436-2975.
DSHS Home and Community Services (Apple Health long-term care)Intake 877-429-7019 or Washington Connection online; DSHS lists (206) 341-7600 and 1-800-346-9257 for King County. Eligibility takes a financial review plus a care-needs assessment.
WA Cares FundBenefits opened July 1, 2026, worth up to $36,500 for eligible contributors who need help with at least three daily activities for 90 days or more. Apply online or at 844-CARE4WA.
Adult Protective Services (DSHS)1-877-734-6277 or the online form, open around the clock. Reporters need no proof and may stay anonymous. Dial 911 when someone is in immediate danger.
Hyde Shuttle (Sound Generations)Free door-to-door, wheelchair-accessible rides for people 55 and over or with a disability; Federal Way is one of its King County service areas. Weekdays 8 a.m.–4 p.m., booked three business days ahead at 206-727-6262 or 1-877-415-3632; one companion may ride; $6 round-trip donation suggested.
Metro Access Transportation (King County)Metro's accessible van service, for people whose disability rules out ordinary buses some or all of the time; its vans cover the area within three-quarters of a mile of Metro routes and Link stations. A healthcare professional co-signs the application, and a free evaluation at Harborview Medical Center is part of the decision.
Federal Way Senior Center4016 South 352nd Street, Auburn, in unincorporated south King County; (253) 838-3604. Nonprofit center for older adults, veterans and caregivers with chair exercise, outings and social programs ($25 yearly activity fee). Washington 211 notes riders arrive by Access and Hyde buses, as no regular bus serves it.

Safety

Hiring safely in Federal Way

Agree the terms on paper: schedule, hourly pay, which tasks are included, mileage, how shopping cash and receipts work, and how much notice ends the job. Sign a weekly time record together, keep medication and bank cards locked away, and turn on alerts for every account. If you think a caregiver or anyone else is harming or exploiting your parent, call APS at 1-877-734-6277; in an emergency dial 911. Our hiring guide explains household-employer paperwork, and federal guidance from the Department of Labor expects most direct care workers to receive minimum wage and overtime.

A caregiver helping an older man with a meal at a kitchen table. Stock photograph; not a CaregiverConnect user.

How it works

How to hire a private caregiver in Federal Way (no agency)

CaregiverConnect is a marketplace, not an agency: you hire the caregiver directly, which is why there is no agency mark-up on their hourly rate. That also means screening is your responsibility, and we tell you how.

Describe the care you need
Your posting goes live
Review caregivers and applicants
Message and hire
Agree terms and pay directly

Pricing, plainly

What is free and what costs money

Browsing, posting and receiving applications are free. Messaging and confirming a hire are part of Family Premium ($24.99/month, cancel any time). No commission on what you pay the caregiver; see the pricing page.

Guides

Useful reading

How to hire a private caregiver: cost, screening, taxes and a written agreement · Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states

Sources (checked 2026-10-27):

Questions

Hiring a caregiver in Federal Way: frequently asked questions

Can a Medicaid program in Washington pay me for caring for my mother?

Yes, when she qualifies for Medicaid long-term services and supports. DSHS says relatives can then work as paid Individual Providers, employed by Consumer Direct Care Network Washington (CDWA). Most family providers need 35 hours of training: five hours of orientation and safety before the first paid shift and 30 hours of basic training within 120 days. Your mother remains the managing employer who chooses and schedules her caregiver, and her CARE assessment sets the hours.

Is a spouse ever paid as the caregiver?

Apple Health long-term care does not pay spouses, according to DSHS. Veteran Directed Care can, for a qualifying veteran, and so can WA Cares when the spouse needing care has earned benefits and meets its care-needs test.

What can WA Cares money be used for?

A beneficiary with at least three years of contributions can spend up to $36,500 on covered services: wages for a family member employed by CDWA or a registered home care agency, respite, delivered meals, rides and more. Workers born before 1968 earn $3,650 of benefit per contributing year. Contributions began July 1, 2023.

Which Washington programs pay for care at home?

Apple Health long-term care includes Community First Choice, a Medicaid state plan option, and the COPES waiver. You can start online through Washington Connection or call Home and Community Services intake at 877-429-7019; a financial review and a care-needs assessment follow. Community Living Connections (1-844-348-5464) explains the steps.

Must a privately paid caregiver be certified in Washington?

No. DOH certification covers long-term care workers paid by the state or by licensed agencies and facilities. A certified home care aide has finished 75 hours of training and passed the state exam, which is a good sign, but a family hire does not need it.

Post your care need in Federal Way

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