Private Duty Caregiver Services
One-on-One, Non-Medical In-Home Care — What a Private Duty Caregiver Does, What It Costs, and How Hiring Works
What Is a Private Duty Caregiver?
A private duty caregiver is a professionally trained, one-on-one caregiver who provides non-medical, in-home help to a single client — bathing, dressing, meals, mobility, medication reminders, and companionship — paid privately rather than through Medicare. Unlike a private duty nurse, a private duty caregiver does not perform skilled medical tasks. The word “private duty” simply means the caregiver works directly for one family at a time, in that person's own home, on a schedule the family controls.
That one-to-one focus is the whole point. In a facility, an aide is split across a dozen residents. A private duty caregiver is there for one person — learning their routine, noticing the small changes that matter, and building the trust that lets an older adult stay safely at home. Families also call this private duty home care, private duty in-home care, or hiring a private duty aide; they all describe the same thing: dedicated, non-medical, privately paid help at home.
At Always Responsive Home Care, every private duty caregiver is a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA in New Jersey) or trained non-medical caregiver, employed as a W-2 employee, background-checked, bonded, insured, and supervised by a Registered Nurse care manager. We have provided private duty home care across New Jersey since 2010 and across Sarasota County, Florida since 2023.
What a Private Duty Caregiver Does
A private duty caregiver's duties and responsibilities are non-medical and built entirely around one client's written care plan. A standard plan can include any combination of the following:
- Personal Care — bathing, showering, dressing, grooming, oral care, toileting, incontinence care, and skin checks.
- Mobility & Transfer Support — bed-to-chair and chair-to-toilet transfers, gait-belt-assisted walking, stair safety, and fall-prevention positioning.
- Meal Preparation — planning and cooking to dietary needs (diabetic, cardiac, low-sodium, soft, or pureed), serving, and hydration support.
- Medication Reminders & Observation — prompting prescribed doses from a pre-filled organizer, observing the dose taken, and documenting it. A private duty caregiver does not administer medications.
- Light Housekeeping & Laundry — tidying living areas, dishes, vacuuming, changing linens, and keeping the home safe for someone with reduced mobility.
- Errands, Shopping & Transportation — grocery and prescription pickups, and rides to medical appointments and social outings.
- Companionship & Engagement — conversation, games, hobbies, light exercise, and the steady presence that reduces loneliness and slows cognitive decline.
- Family Communication — daily shift notes, RN check-ins, and immediate updates after any fall or change in condition.
This is the same daily-living help our personal care and companion care caregivers provide — “private duty” is just the industry term for one-on-one, privately paid care at home.
How Hiring a Private Duty Caregiver Works
Every private duty caregiver we place is matched to the specific tasks, personality, and schedule your family needs — not a pre-packaged daily rate.
Free RN-Led Consultation
A Registered Nurse care manager listens to your situation by phone or video, recommends the lightest level of help that fits, and answers payment questions before anyone visits the home.
In-Home Assessment
The RN visits the home, walks the spaces with an eye for fall risks, reviews medications, and builds a written care plan with the specific private duty tasks, shift schedule, and family-communication expectations.
Caregiver Matching
We match a private duty caregiver to the plan, the client's personality, and the schedule. Consistency matters most in one-on-one care — we aim to keep the same one or two caregivers shift after shift.
Ongoing RN Supervision
RN check-ins at 30 to 60 days, immediate care-plan adjustments after any fall or hospitalization, and the flexibility to add, reduce, or rearrange hours as needs change.
Why Families Choose a Private Duty Caregiver
One-on-one care at home keeps an older adult in familiar surroundings, with a caregiver whose full attention belongs to one person.
Undivided One-on-One Attention
Your caregiver serves one client — not a hallway of residents — so nothing gets missed
Stay at Home Safely
Aging in place stays possible when the right private duty help covers the highest-risk tasks
Caregiver Consistency
The same one or two caregivers shift after shift — routines and trust build over time
Background-Checked, Bonded & Insured
Every caregiver is a W-2 employee we vet, train, and insure — you are never the legal employer
RN-Led Oversight
Every private duty plan is supervised by a Geriatric RN with 20+ years of experience
Pay Only for Hours Used
Four-hour, eight-hour, overnight, or live-in — the bill matches the actual help delivered
Why Families Trust Always Responsive Home Care
Always Responsive Home Care is one of the few private duty home care agencies in New Jersey and Sarasota Florida built around RN-led care management for every client.
Founded and Clinically Led by a Geriatric RN with 20+ Years of Experience
Every Private Duty Caregiver Is a CHHA (in NJ) or Trained Non-Medical Caregiver
Background-Checked, Bonded, and Insured W-2 Employees — Never Independent Contractors
Private Pay & Long-Term Care Insurance Accepted
Same-Day Staffing & 24/7 Availability
Flexible Schedules from 4 Hours to Live-In — Adjust as Needs Change
When you hire a private duty caregiver through Always Responsive Home Care, you are hiring a vetted, supervised team — not taking on the risk of employing a caregiver yourself.
Private Duty Caregiver vs Private Duty Nurse vs Home Health
These three terms get confused constantly. The short version: a private duty caregiver is non-medical and privately paid, a private duty nurse is medical and licensed, and home health is doctor-ordered, Medicare-covered, and time-limited. Always Responsive Home Care provides the private duty caregiver column — and refers families to a licensed nurse or a Medicare-certified home health agency for the other two.
| Dimension | Private Duty Caregiver | Private Duty Nurse | Medicare Home Health |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Non-medical daily living: bathing, meals, mobility, reminders, companionship | Skilled medical care for one client: wound care, injections, assessments | Intermittent skilled visits: nursing, physical / occupational / speech therapy |
| Who Delivers | CHHA or trained caregiver, supervised by an RN care manager | Licensed RN or LPN | RN, PT, OT, or SLP from a certified agency |
| Doctor's Order Required | No | Often | Yes |
| Who Pays | Private pay or long-term care insurance | Private pay or long-term care insurance | Medicare (after a qualifying hospital stay) |
| Typical Duration | Ongoing — weeks, months, or years | As long as the medical need lasts | Time-limited — typically 6 to 8 weeks |
| Does Always Responsive Provide It? | Yes | No — we refer to a licensed nurse | No — we refer to a certified agency |
For a deeper look at the medical-vs-non-medical line, see our home health care vs home care explainer. Many families use both at once after a hospital stay.
How Much Does a Private Duty Caregiver Cost?
Private-pay private duty caregivers typically run $33 to $40 per hour in New Jersey and Florida in 2026 for shifts of four hours or longer. Shorter shifts are often priced higher because of the staffing overhead of getting a caregiver to and from the home. A typical week of three four-hour shifts runs around $420 to $480.
For heavier needs, daily eight-hour shifts run roughly $7,800 to $9,400 a month, and around-the-clock support is usually more cost-effective delivered as live-in care than as stacked hourly shifts past about 12 hours a day. Because we employ caregivers as W-2 employees, that rate already includes payroll taxes, workers' compensation, bonding, insurance, and RN supervision — costs a family takes on directly when hiring a caregiver privately off a classified ad.
Medicare does not pay for a private duty caregiver. Families pay through private pay or long-term care insurance (we file LTC claims for you), and veterans may use VA Aid & Attendance pension funds. For the full breakdown, see our 2026 home care cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Private Duty Caregivers
Q. What is a private duty caregiver?
A private duty caregiver is a professionally trained, one-on-one caregiver who provides non-medical, in-home help to a single client — bathing, dressing, meal preparation, mobility and transfer assistance, medication reminders, light housekeeping, errands, transportation, and companionship — paid privately rather than through Medicare. “Private duty” means the caregiver works directly for one family at a time. Unlike a private duty nurse, a private duty caregiver does not perform skilled medical tasks.
Q. What is private duty home care?
Private duty home care is ongoing, privately paid, non-medical care delivered in a person's own home by a dedicated caregiver — the same service a private duty caregiver provides. It distinguishes one-on-one private care from agency home health (doctor-ordered, skilled, time-limited) and from facility care. Always Responsive Home Care provides private duty home care across New Jersey and Sarasota County, Florida, supervised by a Registered Nurse.
Q. What is the difference between private duty care and home health care?
Private duty care is non-medical — bathing, meals, mobility, reminders, companionship — paid privately or through long-term care insurance, for as long as the family wants. Home health care is skilled medical care ordered by a doctor and typically covered by Medicare for a limited window after a hospital stay. Most families use both: home health for the medical piece, private duty care for the daily-living piece that continues after Medicare visits end. See our home health vs home care explainer.
Q. What are the duties and responsibilities of a private duty caregiver?
A private duty caregiver's responsibilities are non-medical and built around one client's care plan: personal care, mobility and transfer support, meal preparation, medication reminders and observation, light housekeeping and laundry, errands and transportation, companionship, and clear daily communication with the family. The caregiver does not administer medications or perform skilled medical procedures — those are the role of a licensed nurse.
Q. How much does a private duty caregiver cost?
Private-pay private duty caregivers typically run $33 to $40 per hour in New Jersey and Florida in 2026 for shifts of four hours or longer; shorter shifts are often priced higher. A week of three four-hour shifts runs around $420 to $480. Around-the-clock coverage is usually more cost-effective delivered as live-in care. See our 2026 cost guide for the full breakdown.
Q. Is a private duty caregiver covered by Medicare?
No. Medicare does not cover non-medical private duty care. Medicare only pays for intermittent skilled home health visits ordered by a physician, never for ongoing personal care or companionship. Private duty caregiver services from Always Responsive Home Care are paid through private pay or long-term care insurance (we file LTC claims for you), and veterans may use VA Aid & Attendance pension funds.
Q. How much do private duty caregivers make per hour?
Private duty caregivers in New Jersey and Florida earn an hourly wage that, with supervision, benefits, payroll taxes, insurance, and bonding factored in, results in a private-pay rate of about $33 to $40 per hour to the family in 2026. Always Responsive Home Care employs caregivers as W-2 employees, so the family is never the legal employer responsible for payroll taxes or liability.
Q. How do I become a private duty caregiver with Always Responsive?
We hire CHHAs (in NJ) and trained non-medical caregivers as W-2 employees, run background checks, verify references, complete a competency evaluation, and provide ongoing training and RN supervision. If you are a compassionate, reliable caregiver, visit our caregiver jobs page to apply. Families looking to hire a private duty caregiver should call us for a free in-home assessment.
Why Choose Always Responsive Home Care
We provide compassionate, personalized in-home care services tailored to each client's unique needs. With a team of highly trained home care providers available 24/7, we offer peace of mind to families and help seniors maintain their independence and quality of life in the comfort of their own homes.
Learn More About UsGet Started with Always Responsive Home Care
Complete the form below and our team will get back to you to set up a time to talk about working together.
What Families Are Saying
Testimonial: We wanted one person who really knew my father — not a rotating cast from a facility. Always Responsive matched us with a private duty caregiver who comes five mornings a week, and after two years she knows his coffee, his routines, and the early signs when something is off. He is still in his own home because of her. Knowing she is a vetted, insured employee and that an RN checks in took the worry off our whole family.