An hourly rate tells you the least of what you will pay. The billing unit, the minimum block, and the fees tucked into the terms decide the rest. Before you compare two in-home care quotes, rebuild both of them around the same schedule you actually need.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Write the schedule first
Put one week on paper. List each visit by start time, length, and days. Note whether any visit is short, such as a check-in or an errand run, and whether any is long. A quote is only comparable to another quote when both were priced against the same week. If one agency quotes you for four-hour blocks and the other quotes for your real visits, the numbers will not line up.
Ask what the billing unit is
Get the answer in writing. Ask whether billing is by the hour, the quarter hour, the visit, or the shift. Ask whether there is a minimum block per visit or per day. A two-hour errand visit billed as a four-hour minimum changes the weekly total more than most rate differences do.
Check the time that is not on the visit
Ask these questions of each provider:
Does travel time count, and from where does it start? Ask whether the clock starts at the office or at Dad's door.
Is there a separate charge for mileage, supplies, or a same-day or after-hours request?
Is time billed when Dad is not home, asleep, or refusing the visit? Ask what happens if the caregiver arrives and the visit cannot proceed.
What is the cancellation window, and what is the fee inside it? Dad may refuse a visit at the last minute, so this line matters.
Are weekends, holidays, or overnight hours priced differently?
Read the agreement, not the quote
A quote is not the contract. Ask each agency for the service agreement and read the sections on billing, minimums, cancellation, rate changes, and how the agreement ends. If something is unclear, ask the agency to explain it in writing. For questions about what you can sign on Dad's behalf or how a particular contract binds him, speak with a licensed attorney in your area. Nothing here replaces that.
A caregiver can keep Dad company, provide medication reminders, and pick up prescriptions as an errand. Medicine handling stays with the family, the doctor, and the pharmacist, and any agreement should say so plainly.
For agencies and resources near you, the Local Help in St. Louis page lists where to start.
Your next move tonight
Write the one-week schedule. Send that same schedule to two providers and ask each for the billing unit, the minimum block, the travel rule, and the cancellation fee in writing. Do not compare rates until those four answers are on the page side by side.