Overnight Caregivers in Dalton, GA

About 408 Dalton residents 65 or older have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions (9.6%; 11% in Whitfield County). Confusion at night is a common reason families arrange overnight care.

1,328 older residents live alone (32% of those in households). For them an overnight caregiver means someone in the house after dark.

The nearest emergency hospital is Commonspirit-Memorial Hospital-North Georgia in Ringgold, about 15 mi away in a straight line; keep its number and the person’s medication list by the bed.

At $14.07 an hour (the Georgia median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $1,829 a month, and every night about $4,268 (112% of the $3,809 monthly median income of Dalton households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Georgia's state rate is lower than the federal one, so employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act pay at least the federal $7.25 an hour (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 Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states.