How to Hire a Caregiver for Your Parent in Florida: Where to Start

Publication date: November 6, 2026
By Medical Health Reports
Sources checked: November 6, 2026
Regional focus: Central Florida

Your mother finally agrees that some help at home might be useful. Or your father needs more support than you can manage between work, errands, and your own household.

Now comes another worry: How do you find someone you can trust—and know you are hiring the right kind of help?

You do not have to solve every future care decision today. Start with what your parent needs during an ordinary day.

1. What does your parent need help with?

Before calling providers, write down:

• Tasks: meals, housekeeping, transportation, bathing, dressing, or toileting.
• Schedule: days, hours, overnight needs, and gaps in family coverage.
• Preferences: routines, language, privacy, pets, and caregiver preferences.

A fictional DeBary example: A daughter requests lunch preparation, then mentions her mother needs hands-on showering help. That changes the search: a companion-only registration does not authorize that personal care.

Ask your parent’s healthcare professional about an assessment if you are unsure about mobility, medication support, or medical needs.

2. Which type of provider should you contact?

Match the provider’s authority and caregiver’s qualifications to the actual tasks.

Sources: AHCA home health agencies, homemaker/companion services, and Florida’s nurse registry law.

Medication needs require a separate question. A verbal reminder is different from preparing or giving medicine. Do not assume “medication help” is included: ask exactly what the caregiver is trained and authorized to do. Florida sets specific conditions for assistance with self-administration through home health agencies. Source: section 400.488.

Our CNA vs. HHA guide explains those job titles. Florida does not issue individual HHA licenses or certifications; ask for documented training and competency. Source: AHCA.

3. How do you check the provider and caregiver?

Request the legal business name and AHCA license or registration number. Check the matching record and current status through FloridaHealthFinder. If you cannot find a match, ask the provider to clarify its legal name and contact AHCA before proceeding; a missing search result alone does not prove wrongdoing.

Ask about required background screening, current insurance, and experience with your parent’s specific needs. If dementia is involved, ask about relevant training and experience responding to confusion, distress, or wandering.

Hiring directly? Verify identity, relevant credentials, work history, and recent references. Consider a reputable employment-screening company; follow written-consent and notice requirements, including procedures before rejecting someone based on a report. A commercial check does not automatically satisfy Florida’s required Level 2 screening. Ask AHCA which requirements apply to the proposed arrangement. Source: FTC background-check guidance.

Private hiring may also create household-employer obligations. The IRS considers control over both the work and how it is done; consult a qualified tax professional before setting up payment. Source: IRS.

4. What might care cost, and what could help pay?

CareScout’s 2025 Florida median was $32 per hour for nonmedical caregiver services. This is a statewide survey benchmark, not a Central Florida quote. CareScout now combines homemaker and home health aide services in this category. Sources: Florida survey figures and survey methodology and categories, checked November 6, 2026.

Request a written estimate for your actual schedule, including minimum visits, holiday charges, mileage, cancellation terms, and separate fees.

Medicare generally does not pay for personal care when that is the only care needed. Eligible patients may receive limited aide services alongside qualifying skilled home health care. Source: Medicare.

Other possibilities to investigate:

• Florida Medicaid long-term care: Start with local Aging and Disability Resource Center screening. Medical and financial eligibility apply, and community services may involve a waiting list. SMMC Long-Term Care guidance.
• VA Aid and Attendance: Additional pension payments for qualifying veterans and survivors who meet care-related requirements; it is not an automatic benefit for every veteran. VA eligibility.
• Existing long-term care insurance: Ask the insurer about covered home services, benefit limits, waiting periods, and provider requirements before hiring. Florida insurance guidance.
• Respite assistance: Ask the Elder Helpline about local programs offering a temporary break for family caregivers. Eligibility and availability vary. Florida caregiver-support program.

5. How should you prepare for the first visit?

Include your parent in choosing the person, tasks, and schedule:

“Mom, which would make your mornings easier—help with breakfast or help getting ready? Let’s meet someone together and decide what feels comfortable.”

Our guide on a parent refusing help at home offers more conversation ideas.

Put the services, hours, price, and cancellation terms in writing. With appropriate consent, share essential instructions, emergency contacts, and how the caregiver should report concerns.

Ask who covers illness or missed shifts and what happens during a hurricane. “Backup available” does not guarantee immediate coverage.

6. What warning signs should you act on?

Take repeated missed essential care, unexplained missing money, pressure for gifts, or your parent expressing fear seriously. These concerns warrant attention; they are not, by themselves, proof of abuse.

Ask your parent privately whether they feel safe and respected. Document concerns and address routine service problems with the responsible provider. Complaints about regulated providers can also go to AHCA.

Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult: Call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 800-962-2873. For immediate danger, call 911. Do not wait for a provider’s internal review when reporting suspected abuse. Source: Florida DCF.

7. Where can Central Florida families start?

The Elder Helpline provides information about local services and assistance pathways.

Source: Florida Department of Elder Affairs, checked November 6, 2026.

Your next step: Write down your parent’s tasks and schedule, then use our Central Florida Home Care directory to contact providers. Confirm licensing, services, costs, and availability directly. Directory inclusion is not an endorsement.

For help organizing the discussion, get the free Family Care Starter Guide, with 15 questions and a family action plan.

Educational information only; not individualized medical, legal, or tax advice. Consult appropriate professionals about your parent’s situation. Read our Editorial Standards & Corrections or request a correction.