Sonoma County, California

In-Home Caregivers in Sonoma County

A parent in a Santa Rosa subdivision, a farmhouse past Sebastopol or a cottage in Glen Ellen each calls for a slightly different search. There is no fee to post; give the ZIP code of the home needing care, and caregivers closest to it are shown the request first.

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Start here

How to find an in-home caregiver in Sonoma County

Start with geography. The county's IHSS Public Authority asks its own caregivers which of five zones they will work in: Central (Santa Rosa), North (Windsor, Healdsburg, Geyserville, Cloverdale), South (Rohnert Park, Cotati, Penngrove, Petaluma), East (the Sonoma Valley from Sonoma to Kenwood) and West (Sebastopol, the Russian River towns and the coast). Private caregivers tend to think the same way. A request for a Santa Rosa or Petaluma address reaches people already nearby; one for Cazadero, Jenner or Cloverdale may need a mileage allowance, fewer and longer shifts, or a start time that avoids the Highway 101 rush.

Language deserves a line in your post too. The ACS 2020–2024 finds Spanish spoken at home by 21.0% of residents five and older, other languages by a further 6.0%, and 16.8% of residents born abroad. When a parent relaxes in Spanish or another tongue, name it in the opening sentence of the post. Profiles further down are sorted nearest-first from whatever ZIP code you type, and the list fills in as more caregivers register, so type the code for your parent's home.

Available now

Private in-home caregivers in Sonoma County

Independent caregivers with profiles on CaregiverConnect whose home base is within 60 miles. You agree on duties, schedule and pay directly with the person you hire.

Caregiver in San Marcos, CA

about 50 mi from Sonoma County · 10+ yrs experience

Personal careMeal prepMedication remindersTransportationSpanishfull-timeHas vehicle

$30/hrSee full profile

1 of 1 available caregiver within 60 miles of Sonoma County, 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 Sonoma County?

Open postings and a free profile.

Caregiver jobs in Sonoma County

Cities and towns in Sonoma County

Find caregivers by city and town

Each page below has its own local research and shows live caregiver profiles near that place. Towns without a page yet are covered by this hub.

Find caregivers in Santa Rosapop. 179,798
Find caregivers in Petalumapop. 59,160
Find caregivers in Rohnert Parkpop. 44,191

Area by area

The communities of Sonoma County

What to expect in each part of the county.

Santa RosaThe county seat (179,798 residents) with three hospitals and the main county aging and IHSS office; caregivers are closest at hand here.
Petaluma and PenngrovePetaluma (59,160) has a county IHSS office, Petaluma Valley Hospital, its own paratransit (707-778-4460) and the PPSC adult day program.
Rohnert Park and CotatiNeighboring cities of 44,191 and 7,264; PPSC has a Rohnert Park office at 6800 Hunter Drive, the same address as the Rohnert Park Senior Center.
Windsor, Healdsburg and CloverdaleNorth County, with Healdsburg Hospital and senior centers in each town; Windsor Wheels drives older residents locally.
Sonoma ValleyThe City of Sonoma (10,528), Glen Ellen, Kenwood, Boyes Hot Springs and El Verano, with Vintage House on First Street East, Sonoma Valley Hospital and Today & Together.
Sebastopol and the Russian RiverSebastopol (7,350) and the river towns around Guerneville; the Sebastopol Area Senior Center, (707) 829-2440, and West County Community Services, (707) 823-1640, arrange rides.

What you can post

Types of in-home care families in Sonoma County 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 Sonoma County

Ask what each applicant can document. Anyone working as a Sonoma County IHSS provider has finished state enrollment, including Department of Justice fingerprinting and the orientation for new providers; registry members have also attended an information meeting and had work and personal references checked. California lists every aide sent out by a licensed agency on its Home Care Aide Registry; independents can choose to register. Nursing assistants are certified by CDPH, and the junior college in Santa Rosa runs the local course. Beyond that, phone at least two former employers, let your parent take part in the interview, and book a paid trial day. CaregiverConnect performs no background or identity checks; a screening report is something you arrange, and only with the applicant's signed permission.

Questions families here ask at interview

Where would you be driving from, and how many minutes does that take on a weekday?
Were any past clients discharged from Santa Rosa Memorial, Kaiser, Sutter or Petaluma Valley?
Have you enrolled with IHSS here, and did the Public Authority accept you onto its registry?
Can you use a Hoyer lift or slide board, and have you done transfers before?
My mother answers in Spanish when she is tired. Can you keep up with her?
If a smoke-filled day or a power shutoff closes roads, how would you reach us or let us know?
Would you take her to adult day in Sonoma or Petaluma and pick her up afterward?

Schedules and cost

What in-home care costs in Sonoma County: hourly rates and schedules

Santa Rosa and the 101 corridor. Short morning and evening visits around work hours, plus rides to clinics. Sonoma Valley. Daytime blocks that can pair with an adult day program. West County and the north. Longer shifts, sometimes overnight, so a caregiver is not driving twice a day on country roads.

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.

Price a private hire against four figures: the $16.90 state minimum, the $17.72 median for aides in the Santa Rosa–Petaluma metro, the $20.25 Sonoma County IHSS rate, and CareScout's $40 California median for agency care. Three cities set higher floors from January 1, 2026, according to UC Berkeley's Labor Center and the city pages: Santa Rosa $18.21, Petaluma $18.31, and Sonoma $18.47 for employers of 26 or more or $17.38 for smaller ones; none of the city pages speaks to household employers, so treat the city rate as a sensible minimum. State law (the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights) adds time-and-a-half for a personal attendant beyond nine hours on one day or 45 across a week. If your relative has Medi-Cal, ask about IHSS before you budget private hours; intake starts at (707) 565-4636.

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 Sonoma County

Information & Assistance (Aging and Disability Resource Hub)County social workers answer 707-565-INFO (4636), weekdays 8 to 5, or by email at 565INFO@schsd.org and by chat on the county site. The hub partners include Petaluma People Services Center, Council on Aging, West County Community Services and Senior Advocacy Services.
In-Home Supportive Services intakeFor Medi-Cal members who need help to stay at home: call 707-565-INFO or email IHSSintake@sonomacounty-hsd.gov; a Health Care Certification form follows the first conversation. Eligibility questions: (707) 565-5900. Offices at 3725 Westwind Blvd, Santa Rosa, and 5350 Old Redwood Hwy N, Suite 100, Petaluma.
Today & Together adult day program, SonomaA nonprofit day program for older adults with dementia or other care needs on the Hanna Center campus, 17000 Arnold Dr, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; families commit to at least two set days a week, and meals are included. (707) 933-2582.
Petaluma People Services Center, Adult Day RespiteLicensed adult day care for people 60 and over at 25 Howard Street, Petaluma, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a hot lunch and sliding-scale donations. 707-765-8488 ext. 174.
Redwood Caregiver Resource CenterConsultations with a family consultant, support groups, legal consultations and respite referrals for relatives of adults with brain disorders and of frail elders; some respite costs may be subsidized. (707) 542-0282.
Sonoma County Paratransit and volunteer driversShared ADA rides for eligible riders whose trips start and end near a county bus route, booked between one and 14 days ahead; $3.00 for the first zone. 707-565-7433. Volunteer rides: Caring Rides (707) 308-4811 around Santa Rosa, iRide (707) 765-8488 in Petaluma and Rohnert Park, Windsor Wheels (707) 838-6641 x244.
Senior Advocacy Services (ombudsman and HICAP)Long-term care ombudsman (707) 526-4108, 24-hour crisis line 1-800-231-4024; free Medicare counseling on (800) 434-0222.

Safety

Hiring safely in Sonoma County

A one-page agreement signed by you and the caregiver should spell out tasks, pay, overtime, mileage and notice. Track hours weekly, keep valuables and blank checks locked up, and ask the bank to text you about withdrawals. Sonoma County Adult Protective Services takes abuse reports at any hour on (800) 667-0404 or (707) 565-5940, and online through its web intake; concerns about a nursing or assisted living facility go to the ombudsman, (707) 526-4108. Our guide to hiring privately covers payroll and taxes.

A younger man supporting an older man's arm as they walk through a bright living room. Stock photograph; not a CaregiverConnect user.

How it works

How to hire a private caregiver in Sonoma County (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
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

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 Sonoma County

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

Guides

Useful reading before you apply

How to become a caregiver in California: 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.
How much do caregivers make 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 2026-10-15):

Questions

Hiring a caregiver in Sonoma County: frequently asked questions

How does my mother apply for IHSS in Sonoma County?

Call Information and Assistance at 707-565-INFO (4636) or email IHSSintake@sonomacounty-hsd.gov. She needs Medi-Cal (or eligibility for it), must live in her own home or a rental, and needs a Health Care Certification form completed after the first conversation with IHSS staff.

Where can a parent with dementia spend the day?

Two programs publish details online. Today & Together in Sonoma runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with staff trained in memory care; Petaluma People Services Center runs a licensed program three days a week for adults 60 and over. Council on Aging in Santa Rosa also lists a day respite program, (707) 525-0143.

Who supports family caregivers here?

Redwood Caregiver Resource Center, (707) 542-0282, offers consultations, counseling and help arranging respite. Support groups listed in the county directory include those run by Petaluma People Services Center and the Alzheimer's Association, (707) 573-1210.

Dad has stopped driving. How does he get to the doctor?

When a disability rules out the bus, apply for Sonoma County Paratransit (707-565-7433); Santa Rosa (707-546-1999) and Petaluma (707-778-4460) run their own. Volunteer programs such as Caring Rides and iRide offer free rides in parts of the county.

Does CaregiverConnect vet the caregivers?

No. There are no background, license or reference checks on the platform; that part is up to you. Posting a request is free; messaging and hire confirmation come with Family Premium, $24.99 a month.

My aunt lives near Guerneville. Will anyone come that far?

Post with her own ZIP code so West County caregivers see it, and mention mileage and parking. Fewer, longer shifts are easier to fill than short daily visits on river roads.

Post your care need in Sonoma County

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

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A woman on a sofa at home reviewing caregiver profiles on a laptop