Lifelines
Respite Days Have a Shape: What Pushes the Cost Up or Down Before You Book
A day or two of help while you rest costs more or less depending on a handful of details you can read in the agreement, so compare those details before you compare hourly rates.
Respite is a planned break that lets the person who usually provides care rest, sleep, or attend to their own appointments. The total you end up paying depends less on a single rate than on how the days are shaped. Before you compare offers, write down the hours you need, then see how each option would bill them.
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.
The details that move the total
Start with the length of each shift and the number of shifts. Many providers set a minimum number of hours per visit, so a short afternoon can cost more per hour than a full day. Ask how travel time to your home is counted, since a provider who must cross town may bill for the drive. Ask whether weekends, holidays, and overnight hours are billed differently, and whether early or late starts carry their own terms.
What it costs: The Missouri median for non-medical in-home care is $33 an hour, per the CareScout (Genworth) Cost of Care Survey 2025 state data tables, released March 2026. New Plan Care's standard rate is $34 an hour with a four-hour minimum, so a visit starts at $136 (newplancare.com/services).
Single days or a steady schedule
A one-time break and a standing weekly block are often priced on different terms. Ask whether a regular schedule carries a different rate, whether that rate is held for a set period, and how a change of days is handled. If you expect to need respite every month, a steady plan may be easier to budget than a series of one-off bookings, but only if the days really stay the same.
What to ask about cancellations
Find out how much notice you must give to cancel without a charge, and whether a same-day cancellation is billed in full. Ask what happens if the helper is ill or unavailable, and whether the agency sends a replacement at the same rate. Clear answers on these points matter more than a small difference in the hourly figure.
Where to look for support
If the cost is hard to meet, ask local organizations what they know about respite options and any help that may be available. A starting list is on the St. Louis lifelines page, and the sources page shows where the information on this site comes from.