Live-In Caregivers in Smithville, TN: 24-Hour Home Care

Local figures

Live-In Caregivers in Smithville, TN: the local picture

165

residents 85 or older (3.1% of all residents)

365

households headed by someone 65+ own their home (61%)

63%

of Smithville homes have 3 or more bedrooms (68% in DeKalb County)

$7.25

Tennessee minimum wage per hour

About 165 Smithville residents are 85 or older. Live-in care is most often arranged for this age group, when help is needed through the day and someone should be close at night.

A live-in caregiver needs a private room. 63% of homes in Smithville have three or more bedrooms (68% in DeKalb County), while 20% have one bedroom or none, where live-in care rarely works; the median home has 5.4 rooms.

Of Smithville households headed by someone 65 or older, 365 own their home and 236 rent; among householders 85 and older it is 93 owners and 0 renters. Renters should check that the lease allows another adult to live in before anyone moves in.

Smithville compared with DeKalb County and Tennessee

Census figure	Smithville	DeKalb County	Tennessee
Residents 85 or older	3.1%	2.0%	1.6%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	55%	31%	29%
Residents 65+ with a disability	54%	42%	36%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	24%	13%	11%
Residents 65 or older	16%	19%	17%
Residents 5+ who speak a language other than English at home	11%	5.4%	8.6%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$21,463	$37,211	—

Older residents in towns around Smithville

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Residents 85+
Woodbury, TN	17 mi	311	106
McMinnville, TN	19 mi	2,373	243
Sparta, TN	20 mi	1,332	82
Cookeville, TN	22 mi	4,960	567
Algood, TN	27 mi	784	140
Lebanon, TN	34 mi	7,242	994

Emergency hospitals near Smithville

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Dekalb Community Hospital	Smithville, TN	2.2 mi	not rated	(615) 215-5000
Stones River Hospital	Woodbury, TN	16 mi	not rated	(615) 563-4001
Saint Thomas River Park Hospital	Mcminnville, TN	19 mi	3 of 5	(931) 815-4101

Straight-line miles from the center of Smithville. Medicare (CMS) data, October 2026; call ahead to confirm. We are not affiliated with these providers.

What it covers

What a live-in caregiver can help with

Help across the day: meals, housekeeping, personal care
Someone in the home overnight if help is needed
Medication reminders and appointment rides
Companionship and a steady routine

Cost

What live-in care costs in Smithville

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $15.45 an hour (the Tennessee median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,348 a month (187% of the $1,789 monthly median income of Smithville households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $11,248 a month (629% of the $1,789 monthly median income of Smithville households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies to employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S. Department of Labor).

Hiring directly, you agree the rate with the caregiver and usually become the household employer (U.S. Department of Labor rules). Some families qualify for programs that pay for care at home; see TennCare CHOICES: how to get paid to care for a family member in Tennessee.

Before you hire

What to know before hiring a live-in caregiver

Put the arrangement in writing: hours on duty, sleep time, days off, the room and pay (federal rules: DOL Fact Sheet 79B).

Questions worth asking: Have you lived in with a client before, and for how long? What days off and sleep time do you need? How do you handle being woken at night? More in our live-in caregivers guide.

CaregiverConnect does not run background checks. Check identity, references and any certification yourself before anyone starts. The Safety Center explains how.

Questions

Live-In Caregivers in Smithville: common questions

Where is the nearest emergency hospital to Smithville?

Dekalb Community Hospital in Smithville, about 2.2 mi in a straight line from the center of Smithville (Medicare hospital file). Its listed phone number is (615) 215-5000. In an emergency, call 911.

How much does live-in care cost in Smithville?

Live-in pay is often agreed by the day or week, but every hour worked counts toward minimum wage. At $15.45 an hour (the Tennessee median aide wage), a live-in caregiver paid for 50 hours a week costs about $3,348 a month (187% of the $1,789 monthly median income of Smithville households headed by someone 65+). Round-the-clock shift care, 168 paid hours a week across two or three caregivers, comes to about $11,248 a month (629% of the $1,789 monthly median income of Smithville households headed by someone 65+). Private rates are agreed with the caregiver, and overtime rules can add to both. Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour applies to employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S. Department of Labor).

Live-in or 24-hour care in Smithville?

A live-in caregiver sleeps in the home and has protected sleep and break time. 24-hour care uses two or three caregivers in shifts so someone is always awake; in Smithville it costs more than three times as much a month (see the cost section above). Choose shifts if help is needed several times a night.

More near Smithville

More senior care near Smithville

Live-In Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Smithville

More for Smithville families

Sources

Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year; CMS provider data (October 25, 2026); U.S. DOL state minimum wages (July 1, 2026); BLS OEWS May 2025 aide wages, which cover employed aides rather than private rates.

Live-In Caregivers in Smithville, TN