Photo: Centre for Ageing Better
Private home care in the Greater Toronto Area is billed hourly for most services and daily for live-in care. The advertised hourly rate is the least useful number in the quote. Minimum visit lengths, shift premiums and cancellation terms change the monthly total far more.
Typical hourly ranges
| Service | Typical GTA range |
|---|---|
| Personal support (PSW) | $32–45 / hour |
| Companionship | $30–40 / hour |
| Dementia-trained support | $34–48 / hour |
| Overnight or 24-hour shift care | $45–60 / hour |
| Nursing visit (RN / RPN) | $65–110 / hour |
| Physiotherapy at home | $95–150 / visit |
| Occupational therapy assessment | $110–170 / hour |
The four things that move the bill
- 1
Minimum visit length
Most agencies will not send a worker for less than 3 hours, some 4. A one-hour medication check may be billed as three hours, or refused entirely.
- 2
Shift premiums
Evenings, overnights, weekends and statutory holidays typically add 15–25%. A schedule that looks affordable on weekdays changes on weekends.
- 3
Complexity
Two-person transfers, ventilators, feeding tubes and severe responsive behaviours move you into a higher rate band or to nursing rates.
- 4
Continuity
Guaranteeing the same worker often costs more, or requires committing to a minimum weekly block. It is usually worth paying for, because consistency matters enormously in dementia care.
What a month looks like
| Level of need | Private hours / week | Rough monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Daily check-in, 1 h/day | About 4 after funded hours | $550 – $780 |
| Help most days, 3 h/day | About 14 after funded hours | $1,900 – $2,700 |
| Extensive care, 6 h/day | About 34 after funded hours | $4,700 – $6,600 |
| Continuous supervision | Live-in or rotating shifts | $9,000 – $18,000 |
Questions that change the quote
- What is your minimum visit length, and does it change on weekends?
- What are the premiums for evenings, overnights, weekends and holidays?
- What notice do I need to give to cancel a visit without being charged?
- Is the rate different for a two-person transfer or for nursing tasks?
- Will it be the same worker each time, and what happens when they are sick?
Sources
General information, not medical, legal or tax advice. Program rules change, so confirm anything you are budgeting around with the responsible authority.