When you ask for an overnight quote, the number you see is only the start. The total depends on how the hours are defined, when they begin and end, and what the helper is expected to do during them. Find those definitions before you compare anything.
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 clock
Ask exactly when the billed block starts and ends. Some quotes bill from a set time at night until a set time in the morning. Others bill a shift that starts when the helper arrives. Ask whether the hours before and after the main block carry a different rate, and whether weekends or holidays change anything.
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).
The minimum
Ask whether there is a minimum shift length and whether a short visit still bills at that minimum. A short visit can cost more per hour than a full block if the minimum is long.
Awake or on call
Ask whether the helper must stay awake for the whole block or can rest and respond when called. The difference matters a great deal on a night route, because a bathroom trip can happen twice or three times before morning. Ask what happens when she wakes more than once, and whether that changes the bill.
What the job includes
Ask what the helper will do at each of the six stops. Walking beside her, standing by the door and helping her up from the toilet are different tasks, and a quote should say which ones are included. Ask whether the helper will need help with transfers and whether that is in scope or excluded.
Medicine
A non-medical caregiver can give medication reminders and pick up prescriptions as an errand. Read the quote to see whether any medicine line goes beyond a reminder or a pickup. The medicine itself stays with you, her doctor and her pharmacist. Questions about her medicines go to the doctor and the pharmacist, not to the helper.
Compare on the same terms
Write each quote as hours per night, nights per week, the start and end times, the minimum, the awake or on-call rule and the included tasks. Then compare the totals only when the terms match. A low hourly figure with a long minimum can cost more than a higher figure with no minimum.
Where to look for local options
The local help page lists places in St. Louis where families look for overnight help after a fall. The sources page shows where the general cost facts come from.