Overnight Caregivers in Palatka, FL: Night Care at Home

Local figures

Overnight Caregivers in Palatka, FL: the local picture

12%

of residents 65+ have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or deciding (12% in Putnam County)

45%

of residents 65+ in households live alone (29% in Putnam County)

280

residents 85 or older (2.6% of all residents)

1.4 mi

to the nearest hospital with an emergency department (Palatka)

About 193 Palatka residents 65 or older have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions (12%; 12% in Putnam County). Confusion at night is a common reason families arrange overnight care.

710 older residents live alone (45% of those in households). For them an overnight caregiver means someone in the house after dark.

The nearest emergency hospital is HCA Florida Putnam Hospital in Palatka, about 1.4 mi away in a straight line; keep its number and the person’s medication list by the bed.

Palatka compared with Putnam County and Florida

Census figure	Palatka	Putnam County	Florida
Residents 65+ with serious difficulty remembering	12%	12%	7.6%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	45%	29%	25%
Residents 85 or older	2.6%	2.2%	2.6%
Residents 65+ with difficulty dressing or bathing	14%	9.4%	6.4%
Residents 65+ with a disability	40%	38%	31%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	33%	14%	12%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$26,261	$44,837	—

Older residents in towns around Palatka

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Memory difficulty (65+)
Flagler Estates, FL	13 mi	624	9.1%
Green Cove Springs, FL	24 mi	1,746	6.4%
St. Augustine Shores, FL	25 mi	3,186	5.8%
World Golf Village, FL	25 mi	5,175	3.5%
St. Augustine South, FL	26 mi	1,269	9.9%
Bunnell, FL	27 mi	1,136	3.9%

Emergency hospitals near Palatka

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
HCA Florida Putnam Hospital	Palatka, FL	1.4 mi	2 of 5	(386) 328-5711
Flagler Hospital	Saint Augustine, FL	25 mi	3 of 5	(904) 819-5155
Adventhealth Palm Coast Parkway	Palm Coast, FL	28 mi	4 of 5	(386) 302-1800

Straight-line miles from the center of Palatka. 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 Palatka

At $16.25 an hour (the Florida median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,113 a month, and every night about $4,929 (225% of the $2,188 monthly median income of Palatka households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Florida's minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, under Article X, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

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 How to get paid to take care of a family member in Florida: SMMC LTC and the PDO.

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 Palatka: common questions

How much does overnight care cost in Palatka?

At $16.25 an hour (the Florida median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,113 a month, and every night about $4,929 (225% of the $2,188 monthly median income of Palatka households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Florida's minimum wage rose to $15.00 an hour on September 30, 2026, under Article X, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

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 Palatka

More senior care near Palatka

Overnight Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in Palatka

More for Palatka 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 Palatka, FL