At dusk the question is often simple: will the weekend be covered, and what happens when a holiday lands on a day the regular helper is away? The holiday week is when families feel most stretched and when schedules change fastest. Settle those days before you compare any two totals.

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.

Why the odd days need their own questions

Weekday visits are the easiest part of a plan to picture. Weekends, holidays and the stretch of days when a family member travels each follow their own pattern. Some agencies treat those days exactly like any other. Others change the notice needed, the helper assigned, or the way the time is charged. You will not know which unless you ask.

Questions to put to each agency

  • Are weekend and holiday hours charged the same way as weekday hours, or differently? Ask for any difference in writing.
  • How much notice is needed to add a holiday visit, and what happens if short notice is all you have?
  • Will the same helper come on a weekend, or will a different person arrive?
  • Is there a minimum length for a visit on these days?
  • If the regular helper is off, who covers, and is that cover charged in the same way?
  • Is there a deadline for setting the holiday schedule, and what happens after it passes?
  • Are late cancellations charged, and if so, how is that explained in the agreement?

Compare the year, not just the week

Make a list of the days across a normal year when the person you care for will need support: every weekend, the major holidays, the usual family trips, and the late evenings that come around each season. Then put the same questions to each agency about those days. The answers will tell you far more than the weekday picture alone.

Plan the hard evenings too

Holidays often bring late meals, visitors and noise, and the evening can drift from its usual shape. If night hours are part of the plan, read Planning the Hard Hours at Night before you settle the holiday schedule, since the two are closely linked.

What to write down tonight

Keep a short note with the days you will need covered, the helper you hope will come, and what you will do if the plan falls through. Bring that note to the next phone call. If the decision can wait until morning, let it wait. Most holiday plans look clearer after a night of sleep.