The questions families ask, answered plainly.

Non-medical home care is hands-on help so an older adult can keep living safely at home: bathing, dressing, toileting, moving around safely, meals, light housekeeping, medication reminders, rides and errands, and companionship. A trained caregiver comes to the home on a schedule that fits the family, from a few hours a week to around the clock.

Home health is medical care ordered by a doctor and delivered by nurses or therapists, usually for a short period after an illness or surgery. Home care is non-medical daily support with no time limit. Many families use both: the home health nurse visits, and a home care aide is there for everything in between. Chajinel provides home care.

Personalized dementia and Alzheimer's care, companion and personal care, hospital-to-home transitional care, support for chronic and degenerative conditions, non-medical hospice support, respite for family caregivers, and 24-hour care. Every client starts with an integrative assessment across five dimensions: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social. See all services.

Yes. Care can range from a few companion hours a week, to daily visits, to 24-hour or live-in support, and it can change as needs change without starting over.

Yes. Hospital-to-home transitions are one of the most vulnerable moments for an older adult. Our caregivers help with the first days and weeks at home: safe mobility, meals, personal care, and making sure follow-up appointments happen, so the hospital discharge doesn't turn into a readmission.

Yes. Respite care gives family caregivers real time off, whether that is a few hours a week or several days. Through our care-intelligence platform we also watch over the family caregiver's wellbeing, because their health holds everything else up.

Yes. Dementia care is a specialty. Caregivers receive dementia-focused training well beyond California's minimum, and care is built around the person, not the diagnosis: routines that reduce agitation, reminiscence work, the Bapne Method for cognitive stimulation, and safety support for wandering and falls.

Yes. The hospice team provides the medical care; our caregivers provide the hands-on support between hospice visits, including personal care, comfort, companionship, overnight presence, help taking medications, and respite for the family. How medication help works in hospice.

Yes. This is one of the ways we support hospice families that many agencies don't. Our caregivers can help your loved one take their medications: reminding them, opening containers, handing them the right dose, and recording each time medication is taken.

Before we begin, the hospice nurse gives us written authorization listing the medications and instructions, and the nurse remains responsible for the medical plan. Our caregivers assist; they do not administer injections, change doses or make medical decisions. This keeps your loved one safe and keeps everyone within California law.

Yes. We provide steady, informed non-medical support for chronic and degenerative conditions, working alongside the client's doctors and any home health or hospice team.

At Chajinel, private-pay home care ranges from $40 to $50 an hour. Where your rate falls depends on your county, how many hours of care you need, and how consistent the schedule is; steadier, fuller schedules sit at the lower end. After the free in-home assessment we give you a clear written quote with no obligation. Many families combine private pay with long-term care insurance or veterans' benefits. See payment options.

At $40 to $50 an hour, a few common schedules look like this: 4 hours, 5 days a week (20 hours) is about $800 to $1,000 a week. 6 hours, 5 days a week (30 hours) is about $1,200 to $1,500 a week. 8 hours, 5 days a week (40 hours) is about $1,600 to $2,000 a week. Use the calculator to estimate your own schedule; your written quote after the free assessment is what counts.

With live-in care, one caregiver stays in the home and is available during the day, with a protected rest period at night. It fits someone who is mostly safe overnight and only occasionally needs help.

A live-in caregiver needs real rest to give good care, so Chajinel requires two things in every live-in home: an 8-hour rest period each night, and a proper place to rest (their own bed in a private space, with access to a bathroom and kitchen). Any time the caregiver is woken to help during the night is paid work, and if nights are interrupted regularly, live-in care is no longer the right fit.

With 24-hour care, caregivers work in shifts, typically two 12-hour shifts, so someone is awake and alert around the clock. It fits someone who wanders, needs help several times a night, or can't be left alone at all. We'll help you choose the right option during the free assessment, and both are quoted case by case.

Many families start by asking for four hours, two days a week. It sounds reasonable, and it helps to understand why it rarely works well.

That schedule is eight hours a week, about one working day. No caregiver can live on that, so they need other jobs, and when a fuller schedule comes along, the short shift is the first one they let go. The result is turnover: a new face at the door, routines explained all over again, trust rebuilt from the start. For someone living with dementia, that constant change is especially hard.

Caregivers deserve the same consistency and reliability any of us expect from our own work: steady hours, a schedule they can count on, and a wage they can build a life on. When a caregiver can count on you, you can count on them.

What makes care work is consistency: the same caregiver, on a steady schedule, who learns your loved one's habits and notices small changes before they become a crisis. That is why we usually recommend more regular hours on more regular days, and why steadier schedules also get a better hourly rate. During the free assessment we'll help you find a schedule that fits both your loved one's needs and your budget.

A few hours a day often fits someone who is mostly independent but needs help with bathing, meals, errands and getting to appointments. Most of the day usually fits someone with memory loss, a fall risk, or who can no longer be safely left alone for long. Around-the-clock care fits someone who wanders, needs help at night, or couldn't call for help in an emergency.

Needs tend to grow gradually, so we look again regularly and adjust the plan rather than starting over. Not sure where your family fits? Try the care finder on our home page, or call for a free assessment.

Most of what you pay goes to the caregiver and to protecting your family. As a licensed agency, Chajinel employs its caregivers directly: we pay Bay Area wages, payroll taxes, workers' compensation and overtime as California law requires, so your family is not liable if a caregiver is hurt in your home. We carry bonding and liability insurance, pay for background checks, CPR certification and ongoing dementia training, arrange a backup caregiver when someone is sick, and have a care team supervising the plan.

Hiring privately can look cheaper per hour, but the family then becomes the employer, responsible for taxes, insurance, screening, and finding coverage when the caregiver can't come.

Yes. Chajinel is contracted with more than 25 long-term care insurers. We help families with the claim paperwork and with planning around the policy's elimination period.

Yes. Chajinel contracts with Veterans Affairs as an approved provider in the San Francisco area. Whether a veteran qualifies for VA-paid home care is decided by the VA; start by asking your VA care team about home care through VA Community Care.

Chajinel contracts with San Mateo County. Eligibility for county programs, including In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), is decided by the county, not by us. For IHSS in San Mateo County, call 650-573-3900.

Medicare generally does not pay for ongoing non-medical home care. Families typically use private pay, long-term care insurance, VA benefits, or county programs. Call us and we'll walk through which options may fit your situation.

A caregiver does far more than "keep an eye" on someone. In a single shift, they may be a helper, a coach, a companion and the family's eyes and ears. Here is what that looks like:

• Personal careBathing, dressing, grooming, toileting and continence care, always with privacy and dignity.
• Safe movementHelp getting in and out of bed or a chair, walking, transfers, and preventing falls.
• Meals and hydrationPlanning and cooking meals, help with eating, and making sure fluids actually get drunk.
• Medication supportReminders, and help with medications the person takes themselves, within what California law allows.
• Home and errandsLight housekeeping, laundry, groceries, prescriptions, and rides to appointments.
• CompanionshipConversation, walks, hobbies, music, and real connection that eases loneliness.
• A mind kept activeMemory games, reminiscence, and activities that keep the person engaged and present.
• Watching for changeNoticing a new confusion, a skipped meal or a wobble, and telling the family and care team early.
• Relief for the familyTime for family caregivers to work, rest, and simply be a daughter, son or spouse again.

Because this is non-medical care, caregivers do not give injections, treat wounds, adjust medications or make medical decisions. Those belong to nurses and doctors, and we work alongside them.

Every caregiver is registered on California's Home Care Aide Registry and passes DOJ and FBI background checks, CPR certification, a physical exam, and drug testing. They then train well beyond the state minimum, with a strong focus on dementia care.

Yes. Chajinel has a bilingual English and Spanish team, and our founder speaks both languages. We can match Spanish-speaking clients with Spanish-speaking caregivers. Atendemos en español: llame al (650) 741-6107.

Yes. Chajinel is a licensed and bonded California Home Care Organization (HCO #384700002) and a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE).

Yes, and we warmly encourage it. We tip the barista, the delivery driver and the hairdresser, yet rarely the person who bathes, feeds, comforts and protects the people we love most. Caregiving is skilled, physical, emotional work, and a tip is a simple way to say you see it.

Please tip through your Chajinel invoice, which includes an optional tip line. Every dollar goes to your caregiver. We ask families not to give cash, checks or gifts of value directly to a caregiver. Tipping through the invoice keeps a clear record that protects your loved one from any risk of financial exploitation, and protects your caregiver from misunderstandings. A handwritten note of thanks is always welcome, too.

Chajinel was founded in 2014 by Daniela Jonguitud, who has more than twelve years of integrative and gerontological care experience. Chajinel's work has been recognized by the California State Senate and Assembly. Meet Daniela.

Both can work, and the right choice depends on how much responsibility your family wants to carry. With a licensed agency, the agency is the employer: it screens, trains, insures and pays the caregiver, handles payroll taxes and overtime, supervises the care plan, and sends a backup caregiver when someone is sick. You pay more per hour for that.

When you hire privately, the hourly rate is usually lower, but your family becomes the employer, with the legal duties, paperwork and risk that come with it, and you'll need your own plan for when the caregiver can't come. Many families don't realize this until something goes wrong, so it's worth deciding with open eyes.

In California, a privately hired caregiver is usually your household employee, not a contractor. That generally means:

• State payroll registrationRegistering with the California EDD within 15 days once you pay $750 or more in cash wages in a calendar quarter, then withholding and paying state payroll taxes.
• Federal payroll taxesSocial Security and Medicare once you pay one caregiver $3,000 or more in a year (2026 threshold), plus federal unemployment tax in some cases.
• Workers' compensationRequired for household employees in California. Ask your homeowners insurer whether your policy covers a caregiver at the hours you need.
• Wage and hour rulesLocal minimum wage (many Bay Area cities set their own, higher rate), overtime after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week for personal attendants, and paid sick leave.
• ScreeningBackground checks, references, and confirming the caregiver can legally work, all on you.
• RecordsPay stubs, hours worked, and year-end tax forms.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. If you hire privately, a household payroll service or an employment attorney can help you set it up correctly.

In California, any agency that sends caregivers into the home must hold a Home Care Organization (HCO) license from the Department of Social Services. Ask for the license number and verify it with the Home Care Services Bureau at (877) 424-5778. Chajinel's is HCO #384700002.

Caregivers who work for a licensed agency must be background-checked and listed on California's Home Care Aide Registry. You can look anyone up by name at the state's Home Care Aide Registry search. Independent caregivers may also be listed there.

A few questions tell you a lot:

• Who employs the caregiver?The agency, or are they an independent contractor you'd be responsible for?
• What happens when the caregiver is sick?Is there a trained backup, and how quickly?
• What training do caregivers have?Especially for dementia, mobility and end-of-life care.
• Is there a written care plan?Who writes it, and how often is it reviewed?
• Who supervises the care?How are changes reported to the family?
• Can we meet the caregiver first?And can we ask for a different match if it isn't right?
• What exactly is in the rate?Minimum hours, overtime, holidays, mileage, cancellations.

Most caregivers are honest and devoted, and clear boundaries protect them as much as your loved one. Pay only through invoices or payroll, never in cash. Don't share bank cards, PINs or checkbooks with a caregiver, and keep valuables and financial documents secured. Gifts and tips should go through the agency invoice, not directly. Review bank and card statements regularly.

Watch for warning signs: new "friends" with access to money, unexplained withdrawals, missing items, changes to a will or accounts, or a loved one who seems fearful or secretive. If you suspect abuse, call Adult Protective Services in your county.

A little preparation makes the first week smoother for everyone: a list of medications and doctors, emergency contacts, your loved one's daily routine and preferences (what calms them, what upsets them, favorite foods and music), any house rules, and a safe, clear path through the home. With Chajinel, we gather all of this during the free in-home assessment and build it into your written care plan.

Call (650) 741-6107, email info@chajinel.com, or request a free in-home assessment. We visit, listen, and look at the whole picture across all five dimensions of wellbeing, then propose a starting plan and a clear quote. You decide from there, with no pressure and no obligation.

We practice conscious, integrative care that engages the whole person, using the Bapne Method, reminiscence therapy and virtual reality alongside everyday support. Families also get access to our care-intelligence platform, which tracks how a loved one is doing across five areas of wellbeing and flags small changes before they become a crisis.