Oakland, California · Alameda County

In-Home Caregivers in Oakland, CA

Describe your parent's needs in a free post, using the Oakland ZIP code where the care happens. Caregivers within reach of that address see your request, and the profiles below are sorted by distance from it.

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A caregiver helping an older man with a meal at a kitchen table

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How to find an in-home caregiver in Oakland

Hiring privately in Oakland means you become the employer, and the city's own wage floor of $17.34 an hour covers anyone employed for two or more hours a week within the city. Applicants tend to come from across the East Bay. Someone without a car can reach downtown, Fruitvale or North Oakland on AC Transit or BART much more easily than a house high in the hills, so say plainly how far the home is from a bus stop and where a caregiver can park.

Oakland is a multilingual city. The 2020–2024 ACS finds that 40.3% of Oakland residents over four talk at home in a language besides English, and among Spanish speakers in the city, 38.4% rate their English below very well. If your mother is more comfortable in Spanish or any language other than English, lead your post with that. Profiles appear below as caregivers near your ZIP code join; check back after you post.

Available now

Private in-home caregivers near Oakland, CA

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 San Marcos, CA

about 22 mi from Oakland · 10+ yrs experience

Personal careMeal prepMedication remindersTransportationSpanishfull-timeHas vehicle

$30/hrSee full profile

Caregiver in San Jose, CA

about 37 mi from Oakland · 10+ yrs experience

Personal careMeal prepMedication remindersTransportationSpanishlive-inHas vehicle

$25/hrSee full profile

2 of 2 available caregivers within 50 miles of Oakland, 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.

Are you a caregiver in Oakland?

Open postings and a free profile.

Caregiver jobs in Oakland

What you can post

Types of in-home care families in Oakland 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 Oakland

Start by asking each applicant for proof. Alameda County IHSS providers sat through the county's orientation and cleared DOJ fingerprinting, and anyone referred by the Public Authority registry has also completed that office's application and workshop. Agency aides appear on California's public, searchable aide registry; an independent caregiver may or may not have chosen to register. Certified nursing assistants hold a CDPH certificate. Then do your own checking: two references by phone, a sit-down with your parent present, and one paid trial shift. CaregiverConnect itself checks no one's history; if you want a report, get the caregiver's written consent and order it yourself.

Questions families here ask at interview

Have you worked with patients discharged from Highland, Alta Bates Summit or Kaiser on MacArthur?
How will you get here each day, and what happens if BART or your bus is delayed?
Have you helped a client book and ride East Bay Paratransit or OPED trips?
Are you enrolled as an Alameda County IHSS provider?
Can you speak with my father in his own language when he is confused?
Say he falls and will not let you call 911. What then?
Would you join him at a senior center program, such as the one on Grand Avenue?

Schedules and cost

What in-home care costs in Oakland: hourly rates and schedules

Common Oakland requests: mornings for bathing, dressing and breakfast; midday escorts to Highland, Summit or Kaiser appointments; evening check-ins for dinner and medication; and short-term overnights after surgery. Families with a parent who lives alone often start with three visits a week and add hours later.

Reference point	Hourly	Source
Employed aides, San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont metro (includes Oakland)	$17.28 median	BLS OEWS, May 2025
IHSS provider wage, Alameda County	$22.10	CDSS; effective July 1, 2026
California minimum wage	$16.90	effective January 1, 2026
Agency non-medical home care, California median (CareScout 2025)	$40.00	CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025

Who is the employer. When you hire a caregiver directly, you are a household employer under California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. The state minimum wage ($16.90 an hour from 1 January 2026; some cities set more, for example $17.75 in the City of San Diego) is the legal floor, and a personal attendant earns overtime at 1.5× after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week. The main exceptions are IHSS recipients and an employer's own parent, spouse or child. Source: California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights FAQ.

Start from Oakland's $17.34 minimum, not the state's $16.90; it rises each January with the regional CPI. BLS put the metro aide median at $17.28 for May 2025, the county's IHSS providers earn $22.10, and CareScout put the California median for agency non-medical care at $40 an hour. Most direct-hire rates in practice sit above IHSS and below the agency number. Live-in and long shifts need care: a personal attendant earns 1.5 times the regular rate for any hour past nine a day or 45 a week, per the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. When personal care is the need and income is low, call IHSS intake at (510) 577-1800 first; the program may pay for some hours.

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 Oakland

Oakland senior centersRun by the Human Services Department, all open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Downtown, 200 Grand Ave., (510) 238-3284; East Oakland, 9255 Edes St., (510) 615-5731; North Oakland, 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, (510) 597-5085; West Oakland, 1724 Adeline St., (510) 238-7016. Staff connect older adults to housing, food and utility help.
OPED (Oakland Paratransit for the Elderly & Disabled)Subsidized taxi, Uber/Lyft and wheelchair van trips for medical visits and errands, with no income test. Residents 70 and over can enroll directly; ages 18 to 69 must first be East Bay Paratransit clients. Call (510) 238-3036 or email senior.rides@oaklandca.gov; GoGo Grandparent books rides at 1-855-464-6872.
Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP)City of Oakland case management that helps frail seniors stay safely at home; clients may also qualify for TUGO free taxi scrip when they need an escort.
Alameda County IHSS and the Public AuthorityIHSS intake (510) 577-1800. Once enrolled, the Public Authority registry, (510) 577-1980, sends lists of providers who have passed the DOJ check. Offices at 6955 Foothill Blvd., Suite 143.
East Bay ParatransitLift-equipped vans for people whose disability keeps them off AC Transit and BART; office at 1750 Broadway, weekdays 8 to 5. Apply by calling (510) 287-5000, option 5, for an interview.
Senior Information & Assistance and the OmbudsmanCounty referral line 1-800-510-2020. If a parent already lives in a facility and something is wrong, contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at Empowered Aging, 7677 Oakport Street, (510) 638-6878.

Safety

Hiring safely in Oakland

Put the job in writing: tasks, hourly rate, overtime, how mileage is paid and how much notice ends the arrangement, plus a timesheet you both sign each week. Remember that Oakland's wage notice must be posted where employees can read it if the ordinance covers you. Keep cash, cards and spare keys out of sight. To report possible abuse of an older or dependent adult, call Alameda County Adult Protective Services, (510) 577-3500, any time. Payroll and tax steps for household employers are in our private caregiver hiring guide.

A woman on a sofa at home reviewing caregiver profiles on a laptop. Stock photograph; not a CaregiverConnect user.

How it works

How to hire a private caregiver in Oakland (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.

Widen your search

Find caregivers near Oakland

Caregivers set a travel radius, so a caregiver based in a neighbouring town may well cover your home. These pages show who is nearby.

Oakland is part of Alameda County; the hub pages list every town and area they cover.

Elsewhere in Alameda County: Fremont · Livermore · Pleasanton

Guides

Useful reading

How to become a caregiver in California: requirements, HCA registry, IHSS and CNA explained · How much do caregivers make in California and Arizona? BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026) · How to hire a private caregiver: cost, screening, taxes and a written agreement · Imperial County caregiver resources: training, job centres, IHSS, senior services and transport

Sources (checked 2026-10-15):

Questions

Hiring a caregiver in Oakland: frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay a caregiver the Oakland minimum wage?

The ordinance covers employees working at least two hours a week in the city, at $17.34 an hour in 2026. Whether a private household counts as a covered employer is a question for the city's Department of Workplace and Employment Standards, 510-238-6258; many families simply pay at least that rate.

How can my mother get to appointments without driving?

If she is 70 or older and lives in Oakland, she can sign up for OPED subsidized rides without first registering with East Bay Paratransit. Younger adults with disabilities need East Bay Paratransit eligibility first.

Is there free help for a parent who needs an escort to the doctor?

Oakland's TUGO program gives free taxi scrip to residents enrolled in the city's MSSP or Senior Companion programs who need someone to accompany them. Program staff decide who qualifies.

Where can my father spend part of the day while we work?

The four city senior centers, Downtown, East, North and West Oakland, run morning programs Monday to Thursday. For adult day care with supervision, ask Senior Information & Assistance, 1-800-510-2020, for current options.

Can IHSS pay a family member to care for my parent?

Yes. An IHSS recipient may hire a relative, friend or referral, as long as that person completes enrollment: orientation, fingerprints, and the provider agreement.

Is CaregiverConnect an agency?

No. It is a place to post a request and contact caregivers who apply; you hire, supervise and pay them yourself. There is no fee to post; Family Premium, at $24.99 per month, is what lets you message applicants and mark someone as hired.

Post your care need in Oakland

It is free, takes about ten minutes, and caregivers in Alameda County can see it as soon as it is live.

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