Overnight Caregivers in West Plains, MO: Night Care at Home

Local figures

Overnight Caregivers in West Plains, MO: the local picture

12%

of residents 65+ have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or deciding (9.7% in Howell County)

44%

of residents 65+ in households live alone (31% in Howell County)

381

residents 85 or older (3.1% of all residents)

0.7 mi

to the nearest hospital with an emergency department (West Plains)

About 243 West Plains residents 65 or older have serious difficulty remembering, concentrating or making decisions (12%; 9.7% in Howell County). Confusion at night is a common reason families arrange overnight care.

926 older residents live alone (44% of those in households). For them an overnight caregiver means someone in the house after dark.

The nearest emergency hospital is Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains, about 0.7 mi away in a straight line; keep its number and the person’s medication list by the bed.

West Plains compared with Howell County and Missouri

Census figure	West Plains	Howell County	Missouri
Residents 65+ with serious difficulty remembering	12%	9.7%	8.0%
Residents 65+ in households who live alone	44%	31%	30%
Residents 85 or older	3.1%	2.0%	2.0%
Residents 65+ with difficulty dressing or bathing	10%	7.5%	6.4%
Residents 65+ with a disability	39%	38%	34%
Residents 65+ below the poverty line (approx.)	20%	16%	10%
Median income, households headed by someone 65+	$27,188	$36,839	—

Older residents in towns around West Plains

Town	Distance	Residents 65+	Memory difficulty (65+)
Mountain View, MO	20 mi	741	7.6%
Cherokee Village, AR	35 mi	1,626	8.3%
Mountain Grove, MO	35 mi	1,069	26%
Horseshoe Bend, AR	37 mi	806	9.1%
Mountain Home, AR	40 mi	4,330	7.2%
Ava, MO	47 mi	621	22%

Emergency hospitals near West Plains

Hospital with an emergency department	Town	Distance	CMS overall rating	Phone
Ozarks Healthcare	West Plains, MO	0.7 mi	2 of 5	(417) 256-9111
Mercy St Francis Hospital	Mountain View, MO	20 mi	not rated	(417) 934-7000
Baxter Health Fulton County Hospital	Salem, AR	25 mi	not rated	(870) 895-2691

Straight-line miles from the center of West Plains. 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 West Plains

At $15.90 an hour (the Missouri median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,067 a month, and every night about $4,823 (213% of the $2,266 monthly median income of West Plains households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

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 Consumer Directed Services in Missouri: how a relative becomes a paid caregiver.

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 West Plains: common questions

How much does overnight care cost in West Plains?

At $15.90 an hour (the Missouri median aide wage), a 10-hour overnight shift three nights a week comes to about $2,067 a month, and every night about $4,823 (213% of the $2,266 monthly median income of West Plains households headed by someone 65+). Awake and asleep night shifts are often paid differently; agree it in writing. Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 an hour (U.S. Department of Labor table, updated July 1, 2026).

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 West Plains

More senior care near West Plains

Overnight Caregivers in nearby cities

Other care in West Plains

More for West Plains 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 West Plains, MO