In-Home Caregivers in Santa Rosa, CA
Tell caregivers what your parent needs in a free post, and enter the Santa Rosa ZIP code of the home where care will happen. Caregivers living closest to that address see the request first, and the profiles further down are ordered by distance from it.
- Free to join, browse and post
- Hire directly, no agency mark-up
- You stay in control of screening
How to find an in-home caregiver in Santa Rosa
When you hire a caregiver directly in Santa Rosa, your household is the employer. The city sets its own minimum wage, $18.21 an hour in 2026, for staff who spend at least two hours of a week working in Santa Rosa; its page does not mention household employers, so confirm with the city if you are unsure, and in any case expect experienced caregivers to ask for more. Some applicants will drive in from neighboring towns and some will come by bus, so say where to park and how close the nearest stop is.
About one Santa Rosa resident in three (35.0%, ACS 2020–2024) grew up with, or uses, a home language besides English; Spanish alone accounts for 27.4% of residents five and older, and close to half of that group describes its English as less than very good. If your parent belongs to it, open the post by naming Spanish. Caregivers near that ZIP code are added to the list below as they register, so it is worth looking again after a few days.
Private in-home caregivers near Santa Rosa, 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.
No caregivers within 50 miles of Santa Rosa have joined yet
We do not pad this page with distant profiles. Posting is free, and caregivers who join in Sonoma County see it immediately.
Counts come from live caregiver profiles on CaregiverConnect. Sample and test profiles are never shown here.
Are you a caregiver in Santa Rosa?
Open postings and a free profile.
Types of in-home care families in Santa Rosa 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
Evaluating caregivers in Santa Rosa
Credentials you can confirm come first. Every Sonoma County IHSS provider has been through state enrollment, with Department of Justice fingerprints and the new-provider orientation, and a referral from the Public Authority registry also means an information meeting and checked references. To confirm an agency aide, look the name up on California's Home Care Aide Registry; independents are listed only if they registered on their own. A CNA carries a CDPH certificate, and many in town trained at the junior college on Mendocino Avenue. Then make your own calls: two former clients or employers, a sit-down where your parent meets the applicant, and a short paid trial before the schedule is settled. Nobody at CaregiverConnect screens caregivers. A background report, if you want one, is something you buy yourself after the applicant agrees in writing.
Questions families here ask at interview
- Have you helped patients home from Santa Rosa Memorial on Montgomery Drive, Kaiser on Bicentennial Way or Sutter on Mark West Springs Road?
- Which part of Santa Rosa do you live in, and how will you get here if your car is in the shop?
- Could you book and ride Santa Rosa Paratransit with my mother?
- Have you enrolled as an IHSS provider in Sonoma County? If not, would you?
- When my father is tired he drops into Spanish. Is that a problem for you?
- Would you go with her to programs at the Person Senior Center on College Avenue?
- Suppose Mom slips in the bathroom on your watch. What happens next?
What in-home care costs in Santa Rosa: hourly rates and schedules
Santa Rosa families most often post weekday mornings (bathing, dressing, breakfast and medication reminders), afternoon blocks for meals, errands and company, appointment days that include driving and waiting at a clinic, and overnights in the first weeks after a hospital stay or for someone with dementia who wanders at night.
| Reference point | Hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employed aides, Santa Rosa–Petaluma metro | $17.72 median | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| IHSS provider wage, Sonoma County | $20.25 | CDSS; effective March 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.
In Santa Rosa the practical floor is the city's $18.21, which is already above the $17.72 May 2025 median for aides in the metro. Sonoma County IHSS pays its providers $20.25, and CareScout's 2025 statewide agency median is $40 an hour, so a direct hire usually costs somewhere between those two. Because the city rate is tied to the Bay Area CPI-W, expect a new figure each January and budget for it. Plan twelve-hour shifts carefully: for a personal attendant, California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights turns every hour beyond nine in one day, and beyond 45 in one week, into overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate. If your parent has Medi-Cal, an IHSS assessment may cover some hours; call 707-565-INFO first.
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.
Caregiver resources for families in Santa Rosa
- Adult and Aging Division, 3725 Westwind BlvdThe county office for IHSS and aging services, lobby open weekdays 8 to 5; main line (707) 565-5900 (CA Relay 711). IHSS applications start through 707-565-INFO or IHSSintake@sonomacounty-hsd.gov.
- Information & Assistance (565-INFO)Social workers explain what help exists for older adults, people with disabilities and the relatives caring for them; phone 707-565-4636 on weekdays or use the online chat.
- Santa Rosa senior centersThe county lists two in the city: the Santa Rosa Person Senior Center at 2060 College Avenue and the Salvation Army Senior Center at 115 Pierce Street.
- Santa Rosa Paratransit and Caring RidesThe city's own paratransit service answers on 707-546-1999. Catholic Charities Caring Rides, (707) 308-4811, uses volunteer drivers for rides around the Santa Rosa area.
- Council on Aging day respite and Redwood Caregiver Resource CenterCouncil on Aging in Santa Rosa lists a day respite program on (707) 525-0143. Redwood CRC, (707) 542-0282, offers family consultations, support groups and help arranging respite.
- Long-term care ombudsman and Medicare counselingSenior Advocacy Services handles facility complaints on (707) 526-4108 (crisis line 1-800-231-4024) and free HICAP Medicare counseling on (800) 434-0222.
Hiring safely in Santa Rosa
Settle the terms on paper before day one: the tasks, hourly pay, overtime, mileage and how much notice each of you gives. A weekly timesheet signed by both of you avoids most pay disputes. Lock up jewelry, cash and checkbooks, and have the bank text your parent or you about large withdrawals. Suspected abuse or neglect goes to Sonoma County Adult Protective Services day or night (707-565-5940, or toll-free 800-667-0404); dial 911 when someone is in danger right now. For payroll and taxes, read how to hire a private caregiver.
How to hire a private caregiver in Santa Rosa (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
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.
Find caregivers near Santa Rosa
Caregivers set a travel radius, so a caregiver based in a neighbouring town may well cover your home. These pages show who is nearby.
Santa Rosa is part of Sonoma County; the hub pages list every town and area they cover.
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
- City of Santa Rosa, minimum wage (archived September 28, 2026)
- Sonoma County Human Services, I need a caregiver (IHSS)
- Sonoma County Human Services, Information & Assistance
- Sonoma County Human Services, Area Agency on Aging (senior centers)
- Sonoma County Human Services, transportation
- Sonoma County Human Services, Adult Protective Services
- Sonoma County Human Services, Medicare counseling
- Sonoma County Aging & Disability Resource Directory, caregiver resources
- NCO, Redwood Caregiver Resource Center
- Sonoma County Transit, paratransit (other local providers)
- Sonoma County IHSS Public Authority, registry application
- CDSS, IHSS wages by county
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
- California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights
- CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, median cost data tables
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year profile, Santa Rosa city (via MCDC)
- HCAI facility profiles (Santa Rosa hospitals)
Hiring a caregiver in Santa Rosa: frequently asked questions
What hourly rate should we offer a caregiver in Santa Rosa?
Start from the $18.21 city minimum, then look at what Sonoma County IHSS pays ($20.25) and what agencies charge statewide (a $40 median, per CareScout). For hands-on personal care, an offer near the IHSS rate is a reasonable starting point.
Can Medi-Cal pay for a caregiver at home in Santa Rosa?
Possibly, through IHSS. IHSS is for people with Medi-Cal, or who qualify for it, who cannot stay home safely without help. Start by phoning 707-565-INFO; after that conversation with IHSS staff, a completed Health Care Certification form is required.
Mom has appointments at Kaiser and Memorial. Who can drive her?
If her disability keeps her off the bus, Santa Rosa Paratransit (707-546-1999) is the city option, and Caring Rides offers volunteer drivers around Santa Rosa on (707) 308-4811. Many families also ask the caregiver to drive and pay mileage.
I am worn out caring for my mother. Is there respite in Santa Rosa?
Council on Aging lists a day respite program in Santa Rosa, (707) 525-0143, and Redwood Caregiver Resource Center can help you find respite and may offer limited funding toward it.
Does CaregiverConnect check backgrounds?
No, the site checks neither criminal records nor references; verifying a caregiver is your job. A post costs nothing, and the $24.99 monthly Family Premium plan unlocks messaging and hire confirmation.
I suspect a caregiver is exploiting my father. Who handles that?
Sonoma County Adult Protective Services, (707) 565-5940, at any hour, or report online through the APS web intake. For a parent in a nursing home or assisted living, the ombudsman line is (707) 526-4108.
Post your care need in Santa Rosa
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