Caregiver in Lake Forest, CA
in town · 8+ yrs experience
$25/hrSee full profile
Santee, California · San Diego County
Find Caregivers in Santee, CA
Nearly a third of Santee households include someone 65 or older, and the county's CNA school is in the city. Post what you need for free, compare caregivers nearby and hire directly.
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How to find a caregiver in Santee
Post your need with the 92071 ZIP code, the hours and the tasks, and caregivers whose radius includes Santee are notified straight away. The cards above are ordered by distance, so you will see people in Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon and La Mesa first; Santee is one of the home cities caregivers on CaregiverConnect name most often, and the Health Occupations Center on Mast Boulevard means an unusual share of local applicants hold a CNA or Home Health Aide certificate. Santee is overwhelmingly English-speaking (19.9% of residents speak another language at home, 9.1% Spanish), so language is rarely the deciding factor; distance is. Much of the city is beyond walking range of the Copper Line's Santee station, so say whether the caregiver needs a car and whether you can offer parking.
Available now
Caregivers near Santee, 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 Elcajon, CA
about 4 mi from Santee · 3+ yrs experience
$25/hrSee full profile
Caregiver in El Cajon, CA
about 4 mi from Santee · 3+ yrs experience
$20/hrSee full profile
Caregiver in El Cajon, CA
about 4 mi from Santee · 1+ yrs experience
$23/hrSee full profile
Caregiver in La Mesa, CA
about 5 mi from Santee · 14+ yrs experience
$35/hrSee full profile
Caregiver in San Diego, CA
about 6 mi from Santee · 10+ yrs experience
$30/hrSee full profile
6 of 48 available caregivers within 50 miles of Santee, 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 Santee?
Open postings and a free profile.
What you can post
Types of in-home care families in Santee 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: meals, reminders, housekeeping, errands, company.
- Personal care: bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, transfers.
- Companion care: conversation, walks, appointments, errands.
- Dementia care: routine-based support; ask for experience.
- Respite care: shifts so a family caregiver can rest or work.
- Overnight and live-in: night supervision or room-and-board arrangements.
- Post-surgery recovery: non-medical help after a hospital stay.
- Part-time and flexible: a few hours on set days is the usual start.
Choosing well
Evaluating caregivers in Santee
Ask every applicant which of three credentials they hold and check it: a CNA or HHA certificate issued by the state Department of Public Health (often earned at the Health Occupations Center in Santee), a listing on the state Home Care Aide Registry (required for aides at the four licensed agencies in the city, optional for independents, searchable online), or IHSS enrolment through the county Public Authority, which involves Department of Justice fingerprints. Caregivers who have worked shifts at Lantern Crest or one of Santee's small residential homes can give you a supervisor as a reference. Hold the interview at home with your parent present, telephone both referees, order a consumer-reporting background check once the caregiver has consented in writing, and fix the schedule only after a couple of paid trial shifts. CaregiverConnect has no screening of its own; the Verified badge marks a document the caregiver chose to upload.
Questions families here ask at interview
- Do you drive, and how long is your trip to Santee at 8 a.m. on a weekday?
- Did you train at the Health Occupations Center, and which certificate do you hold?
- Have you cared for someone after a stay at Sharp Grossmont, and what did the first week involve?
- How would you keep my father active without pushing him beyond what he can do?
- What would you do if my mother fell while you were with her?
- Could you take her to the Feeling Fit Club at City Hall on Tuesday mornings?
- Which days and hours can you commit to, and could nights be added later?
- What is your rate, and what is extra for weekends or driving?
Schedules and cost
Typical schedules and what care costs in Santee
Santee postings run to weekday daytime blocks for a parent who owns the family home, respite for a spouse who is the primary carer, recovery help for a few weeks after surgery, and dementia care that often grows into overnights. Live-in requests are uncommon. Because most households have a car and a driveway, families frequently ask the caregiver to drive to appointments in La Mesa and to the city's senior programmes.
| Reference point | Hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employed aides, San Diego metro (San Diego County) | $16.97 median | BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| IHSS provider wage, San Diego County | $20.40 | 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.
Santee has only four home-care agencies on the CDSS May 2025 file, so many families here hire directly by default. Expect to agree a rate between the $20.40 IHSS wage and the $40 agency median, with CNA-certified caregivers, dementia care and driving at the higher end; $16.90 is the state floor that applies in Santee. Pay above the federal threshold makes you a household employer, and the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights adds overtime once a personal attendant passes nine hours in a day or 45 in a week.
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 Santee
- Santee Seniors 55+ (City of Santee)Community Services Department, City Hall, 10601 Magnolia Avenue, Building 6, (619) 258-4100 ext. 222. Free Feeling Fit Club on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., first-Wednesday library events in Building 8P, trips and outings with registration, and a VIP credit of $60 a quarter for residents who qualify.
- Aging & Independence Services (County of San Diego)(800) 339-4661. Call here to start an IHSS assessment, reach the Family Caregiver Support Program, report to Adult Protective Services or contact the Ombudsman.
- San Diego County IHSS Public Authority401 Mile of Cars Way, Suite 200, National City, (866) 351-7722. Maintains the list of enrolled providers an IHSS recipient can choose from.
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital5555 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, (619) 740-6000. A few miles south of Santee; 562 beds, stroke centre and senior services. The discharge planners will give you a care plan to post from.
- Southern Caregiver Resource Center891 Kuhn Drive, Suite 200, Chula Vista, (858) 268-4432. Its classes are live-streamed, which suits Santee families who cannot get to Chula Vista; support groups and care planning too.
- MTS Copper Line and MTS AccessCopper Line trolley from Santee Trolley Station to El Cajon every 15 minutes most of the day; MTS Access paratransit for certified riders, $6 per one-way trip from 1 October 2026, (888) 517-9627.
- Residential care in SanteeNine licensed residential care facilities for the elderly with 223 beds on the CDSS May 2025 file: Lantern Crest (180 beds) and eight homes of six beds or fewer.
Safety
Hiring safely in Santee
Agree duties, hours, rate, overtime, mileage and notice in writing before the first shift; keep a signed weekly timesheet; secure cheque books, cards and medication and set up account alerts; and ask for a short note after each visit. Suspected abuse or neglect of an older adult goes to Aging & Independence Services at (800) 339-4661. The hiring guide walks through screening, the agreement and payroll.
How it works
How to find and hire a caregiver in Santee
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
Who, which tasks, which days and time blocks, budget, start date. About ten minutes, free.
Your posting goes live
Caregivers in range see it immediately. Edit or close it any time from your dashboard.
Review caregivers and applicants
Experience, care types, languages, rates, availability. Applicants appear under your posting.
Message and hire
Messaging and confirming a hire are part of Family Premium ($24.99/month, cancel anytime). Browsing, posting and applications are free.
Agree terms and pay directly
Rate, schedule and payment are between you and the caregiver. No percentage is taken.
Pricing, plainly
What is free and what costs money
Free family account
$0
- Browse profiles, post and edit care needs, receive applications
Family Premium
$24.99/month
- Messaging, direct job requests, confirming a hire; cancel any time
No commission on what you pay the caregiver; payments are between you. Details on the pricing page.
Widen your search
Find caregivers near Santee
Caregivers set a travel radius, so a caregiver based in a neighbouring town may well cover your home. These pages show who is nearby.
Santee is part of East County San Diego, which sits within San Diego County; the hub pages list every town and area they cover.
Guides
Useful reading before you apply
California caregiver requirements: HCA registry, IHSS and CNA explained
Which rules apply to a caregiver in California depends on who pays them. A plain-language map of the Home Care Aide Registry, IHSS provider enrolment and CNA/HHA certification, with the official sources.
What caregivers earn in California and Arizona: BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026)
Median hourly pay for home health and personal care aides by metro area from the May 2025 BLS survey, county IHSS wages, state minimum wages, and how private rates relate to them.
How to hire a private caregiver: cost, screening, taxes and a written agreement
What a private in-home caregiver costs compared with an agency, how to screen and check references, the household-employer tax and overtime rules in California and Arizona, and what to put in writing.
Imperial County caregiver resources: training, job centres, IHSS, senior services and transport
A verified directory of the agencies and programmes caregivers and families in El Centro, Calexico, Brawley, Imperial, Holtville, Westmorland and Calipatria actually use, with addresses and phone numbers checked on 12 October 2026.
Sources (checked 2026-10-13):
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, Santee city (S1601, DP02, DP04)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
- CDSS, IHSS wages by county
- California DIR, minimum wage FAQ
- California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights
- CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025, California
- City of Santee, Santee Seniors 55+
- Health Occupations Center, GUHSD
- County of San Diego, Aging & Independence Services
- San Diego County IHSS Public Authority
- Sharp Grossmont Hospital
- Southern Caregiver Resource Center
- CDSS Community Care Licensing open data (RCFE and HCO files, May 2025)
- CDSS, Home Care Aide Registry search
- MTS Copper Line; MTS Access
- IRS Topic 756, household employees
Questions
Hiring a caregiver in Santee: frequently asked questions
How do I find a caregiver in Santee?
Post the hours, tasks and your ZIP code free of charge; caregivers in Santee and the neighbouring towns see it at once, and the cards above rank today's available caregivers by distance.
Are Santee caregivers likely to be certified?
More often than elsewhere in East County, because the Health Occupations Center trains CNAs and Home Health Aides in the city. Ask for the certificate number and check it with the Department of Public Health.
What will a private caregiver cost in Santee?
Caregivers list their own rate; most Santee arrangements sit between the $20.40 IHSS wage and the $40 statewide agency median, with driving and dementia care adding to it.
Can my mother get IHSS hours and still hire privately?
Yes. IHSS covers assessed hours for Medi-Cal-eligible recipients through Aging & Independence Services; families often add private hours on top for evenings, weekends or driving.
What can the city do for my father while I am at work?
The Santee Seniors 55+ programme at City Hall runs a free fitness club twice a week, monthly library events and trips; a caregiver can take him and bring him home.
Does CaregiverConnect vet the caregivers, and what does it cost?
Vetting is yours to do: references, identity and any background check. There is no charge to post or to receive applications; messaging and confirming a hire sit behind Family Premium at $24.99 a month, which you can cancel whenever you like.
Post your care need in Santee
It is free, takes about ten minutes, and caregivers in San Diego County can see it as soon as it is live.
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