Overnight Caregivers in Opelika, AL

About 592 Opelika residents 65 or older have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions (10%; 7.9% in Lee County). Confusion at night is a common reason families arrange overnight care.

1,693 older residents live alone (29% of those in households). For them an overnight caregiver means someone in the house after dark.

The nearest emergency hospital is The East Alabama Healthcare Authority in Opelika, about 1.1 mi away in a straight line; keep its number and the person’s medication list by the bed.

At $13.39 an hour (the Alabama median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $1,741 a month, and every night about $4,062 (93% of the $4,382 monthly median income of Opelika households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Alabama 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 Medicaid programs for family caregivers: who can be paid, and the rules in 12 states.