Compare Grandma Joan
To Home Care Models
24-Hour Agency vs Grandma Joan
A local home care agency is often the best option for securing quality care at home. They can provide a trained employee, 24/7 field assistance, and a simple, all-inclusive hourly rate. This is usually the best choice for part-time coverage of up to 12 hours daily.
However, when full-time custodial care or memory care is needed, the challenges become more pronounced. The need for intermittent coverage throughout the day and some overnight help can be particularly difficult. If using hourly shifts, the frequent shift rotation of 4-7 different caregivers each month can be overwhelming for memory-care recipients, especially if a caregiver doesn’t show up and the agency struggles to find a replacement.
Additionally, the cost of maintaining this coverage is daunting. With an average rate of $36 per hour, 24-hour, agency-delivered home care costs $864 per day, $26,280 per month, and in some areas of the country, the costs can reach $35,000 per month!
Grandma Joan’s model provides discerning clients with a proven alternative with fewer headaches at substantially lower costs.
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Agencies often rotate 4-7 caregivers weekly for 24-hour cases, which can overwhelm care recipients. Our direct-hire model uses a single, reliable live-in caregiver covering most hours, with family or agency support for weekly respite. Less workers = less staffing headaches.
Home care agencies can provide the best option for part-time coverage, but for 24-hour care, the cost is astronomical. Our model offers a considerably more affordable option for reliable 24/7 support at home. Direct-hire costs include payroll taxes and workers’ compensation insurance for liability protection.
Families Pay Less While Caregivers Earn More
One major benefit of our direct-hire model is that it eliminates most admin and overhead costs. This approach allows professional live-in caregivers to earn over $100,000 per year—often 2 to 3 times more than care-facility or agency-employed CNAs doing the same work. As a result, we’re able to attract the most experienced and dedicated talent in the home care field. Meanwhile, families save 30% to 50% each month on care costs. It’s a true win-win.
Caregiver Registry vs Grandma Joan
In more densely populated areas, caregiver registries may seem like a convenient option for finding a live-in caregiver. They typically provide a list of available candidates for clients to interview and hire as household employees.
But when it comes to quality, consistency, and cost, there are three major differences between a caregiver registry and Grandma Joan:
1. Candidate Pool
One of the biggest differences between caregiver registries and Grandma Joan is how caregiver candidates are identified.
Many caregiver registries primarily present caregivers who have registered with their service and are available within a particular geographic area. While that approach can work well in some situations, it naturally limits the pool of candidates available for consideration.
At Grandma Joan, our search is nationwide and customized for each family’s unique situation. Rather than relying on local availability alone, we actively recruit and headhunt professional live-in caregivers from across the country to identify candidates whose experience, qualifications, and preferences closely match your family’s needs.
Instead of limiting the search to one local market, we search nationwide to find the strongest possible match.
2. Service Fees
Another important difference is how the services are priced.
Many caregiver registries charge an ongoing service fee that is calculated as a percentage of the caregiver’s wages. As long as the caregiver remains employed through the registry, those fees typically continue.
For example, if your caregiver earns $400 per day, a 20% service fee would add approximately $80 per day—or about $2,400 per month—in addition to the caregiver’s wages.
Grandma Joan takes a different approach.
We charge a one-time recruiter fee that covers our nationwide headhunting, recruiting, screening, and exclusive access to our proven private hiring system, including the Grandma Joan Client Guide.
Clients may pay the recruiter fee through monthly installments that end once the agreement has been satisfied or the caregiver is no longer employed, whichever occurs first. Families who expect a long-term placement may also choose to pay the recruiter fee early and receive a substantial discount.
There are no ongoing percentage-based service fees tied to your caregiver’s wages.
3. Our Proven Private Hiring System
Finding the right caregiver is only the beginning. Successfully hiring a live-in caregiver involves much more than reviewing resumes and conducting interviews.
Families must navigate interviews, employment agreements, payroll setup, household employer responsibilities, onboarding, and dozens of other decisions that most people have never encountered before.
That’s why every Grandma Joan client receives exclusive access to the Grandma Joan Client Guide—our proven private hiring system, developed and refined through more than 16 years of experience helping families privately hire professional live-in caregivers.
The Client Guide provides practical guidance, forms, templates, checklists, interview resources, state-specific household employer information, and educational materials that walk families through each stage of the private hiring process.
A caregiver registry may introduce you to candidates. Grandma Joan provides the candidates and the proven system to help you confidently navigate the hiring process from beginning to end.
In Summary:
|
Feature Comparison |
Caregiver Registry |
Grandma Joan |
|
Candidate Pool |
Local, limited |
Nationwide, top-tier candidates |
|
Service Fee |
20% ongoing |
One-time only or limited installments. |
|
Fee Duration |
Indefinite |
Fixed and transparent |
|
Grandma Joan Client Guide |
X |
Exclusive Access |
|
Proven Private Hiring System |
X |
Included |
|
Interview Guides & Worksheets |
? |
Included |
|
Employment Agreement Templates |
? |
Included |
|
Preparing for Arrival Checklists |
? |
Included |
|
State-Specific Household Employer Resources |
? |
Included |
More Than a Caregiver Registry
Most caregiver registries help you locate caregiver candidates. Grandma Joan goes several steps further.
Every client receives exclusive access to the Grandma Joan Client Guide—our proven private hiring system developed from more than 16 years of experience. This comprehensive educational resource walks families through each stage of the private hiring process, providing practical guidance, templates, checklists, interview resources, employment agreement samples, and household employer information designed to help families hire with confidence.
With a caregiver registry, you’re primarily paying for access to candidates. With Grandma Joan, you’re investing in a complete recruiting experience that includes nationwide headhunting, multi-step candidate screening, and exclusive access to our proven private hiring system.
Grandma Joan’s one-time fee model can save households thousands compared to registry models with recurring fees. The savings increase the longer a live-in caregiver is needed.
With both models, clients can interview the best available live-ins. With Grandma Joan’s model client’s get to chose from the best candidates in the country.
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