How much should I pay for someone to come into my dad's home and help him in the house as well as basic companionship?

I hear ya tennessee. Word is Daisy has now been put in mom's will and is set to get the home among other things. I told mom I never wanted a dime from her but holy moly, I didn't think any of this, which my dad's hard earned money went to pay for,would go to a stranger. I'm not sure the agency won't profit also. Pathetic!

Just as [always my duty], we had a caregiver over step her bounds terribly,she has profitted greatly from my dads death[lots of snakes out there calling themselves caregivers]Pretty sicking when the hired caregiver takes advantage of a family situation,destroys whats left and then profits from it legally,with the help of a agency.Hard to find someone to cut ones hair,much less someone honest enough to be allowed in your home and take care of a loved one.

The agency charged $20 pr hr (reasonable here in our large city) for Daisy to take mom to routine doc appts, grocery store, etc. (Mom does not have Alz but many illnesses). It was 3 hr minimum. Agency and Daisy checked out fine. Mom had a bout of heart trouble,3 hosptial stays, so my adult kids and I practically moved in plus Daisy helped a lot. Long story short, Mom decided Daisy was better than the kids and me. Daisy now lives with Mom and the kids and I are no longer welcome in Mom's life. Yes, this is 75% mom's fault but Daisy way overstepped her bounds.But mom, being of sound mind, is legally allowed to live her own life. Someone told me I should report Daisy to the owner of the agency. Well, while we thought mom was all tucked in bed at night,the off nights we weren't there, she and Daisy were at the agency owners house enjoying dinners and parties. Coulda knocked me over with a feather.
I agree with Tennessee, word of mouth is great, but if that's not possible and you must go with an agency, just be mindful of what can happen, good or bad. And good luck!

My dads home-health was the one that recommended the caregiver that I had arrested[with the rap sheet from Tenn. to Michigan] They were the ones that recommended the one that walked out on my dad and just decided not to inform anyone. The best caregiver we had who went that extra mile,had compassion,loyality and wasn't a thief was paid 7 dollars a hour.We had some from a agency we were paying almost 30 dollars a hour to that wasn't worth a flip.Sometime with the big companys the employees are so bitter that they are getting so little pay,that it reflects on their attitude greatly.We were out of pocket almost 30 dollars a hour,but the employees were getting very little of it.I personally think word of mouth recommendations are the best way to go.Drug testing is not very effective-lots of ways around the system.

I highly recommend using a company that specializes in in-home care. The company Mom uses screens their employees, does a background check, and requires drug testing. They also hire locally. See if you can get a recommendation from some one in your Dad's town. We pay $19./hr.
(PS: If your dad is elegible for Medicare and had a recent hospital stay, they should have provided him with some in-home help.)