Overnight Caregivers in Athens, TN: Night Care at Home

Local figures

Overnight Caregivers in Athens, TN: the local picture

10%

of residents 65+ have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or deciding (11% in McMinn County)

40%

of residents 65+ in households live alone (24% in McMinn County)

393

residents 85 or older (2.7% of all residents)

1.2 mi

to the nearest hospital with an emergency department (Athens)

About 241 Athens residents 65 or older have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions (10%; 11% in McMinn County). Confusion at night is a common reason families arrange overnight care.

928 older residents live alone (40% of those in households). For them an overnight caregiver means someone in the house after dark.

The nearest emergency hospital is Starr Regional Medical Center Athens in Athens, about 1.2 mi away in a straight line; keep its number and the person’s medication list by the bed.

Athens compared with McMinn County and Tennessee

Census figure	Athens	McMinn County	Tennessee
Residents 65+ with serious difficulty remembering	10%	11%	8.8%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	40%	24%	29%
Residents 85 or older	2.7%	1.9%	1.6%
Residents 65+ with difficulty dressing or bathing	14%	11%	7.4%
Residents 65+ with a disability	41%	40%	36%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	11%	9.9%	11%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$43,710	$44,304	—

Older residents in towns around Athens

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Memory difficulty (65+)
Etowah, TN	9.3 mi	842	16%
Sweetwater, TN	12 mi	1,620	33%
Madisonville, TN	14 mi	1,164	18%
Dayton, TN	23 mi	1,465	7.9%
Hopewell, TN	23 mi	436	7.9%
Loudon, TN	24 mi	1,354	11%

Emergency hospitals near Athens

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Starr Regional Medical Center Athens	Athens, TN	1.2 mi	3 of 5	(423) 745-1411
Sweetwater Hospital Association	Sweetwater, TN	13 mi	1 of 5	(865) 213-8200
Rhea Medical Center	Dayton, TN	23 mi	2 of 5	(423) 775-1121

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

What it covers

What a overnight caregiver can help with

Help to the bathroom at night and back to bed
Turning and settling someone who cannot move easily
Watching for wandering or confusion
Medication reminders at bedtime and in the morning

Cost

What overnight care costs in Athens

At $15.45 an hour (the Tennessee median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,009 a month, and every night about $4,687 (129% of the $3,643 monthly median income of Athens households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. 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 overnight caregiver

Overnight help is usually arranged when the person gets up in the night or the family caregiver is no longer getting enough sleep. Decide first whether you need an awake caregiver, who stays up through the shift, or one who may sleep in the home and is woken when needed; the two are paid differently.

Questions worth asking: Do you stay awake through the shift, or sleep and wake when called? Have you cared for someone with dementia at night? What would you do if my parent fell during the night? More in our overnight caregivers guide.

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

Questions

Overnight Caregivers in Athens: common questions

How much does overnight care cost in Athens?

At $15.45 an hour (the Tennessee median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,009 a month, and every night about $4,687 (129% of the $3,643 monthly median income of Athens households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. 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).

Overnight, live-in or 24-hour care: what is the difference?

Overnight care is a single night shift. A live-in caregiver lives 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.

More near Athens

More senior care near Athens

Overnight Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Athens

More for Athens 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.

Overnight Caregivers in Athens, TN