Hourly Care
The right help, at the right hours, in their own home.
It usually starts with mornings. Your mother can still manage most of the day on her own, but getting out of bed, showering, and dressing have become a forty-minute struggle that leaves her exhausted before breakfast. Or maybe it's evenings—your father is fine until sundown, when confusion creeps in and he needs someone there to help with dinner, medications, and getting safely into bed.
Care That Fits Around the Life They Already Have
Hourly care is built for exactly this: the hours that matter most. A caregiver arrives at a scheduled time, handles whatever your parent needs—personal care, meals, medications, companionship, light housekeeping—and leaves when the shift is done. No live-in arrangement, no overnight commitment, just targeted support during the gaps that family and the CLSC can't fill.
For many Montreal families, hourly care is the starting point. Maybe the CLSC provides a few hours a week through the SAPA program, but it's not enough—and the timing doesn't match your parent's actual needs. Maybe you've been stopping by every morning before work, and it's wearing you down. Maybe the geriatrician said 'some help at home' and you're not sure what that looks like yet.
Hourly care lets you find out. Start with 12 hours a week—three four-hour morning shifts, or two longer visits—and see how it goes. If your parent needs more, we add hours. If they recover from surgery and need less, we scale back. The schedule bends around them, not the other way around.
- 4-hour minimum shifts, scheduled at the times that matter most—mornings, evenings, or both
- Same caregiver for every visit so your parent sees a familiar face, not a rotation of strangers
- Personal care, companion care, meal preparation, medications, and light housekeeping—all available hourly
- Scale up or down as needs change—add hours after a hospital stay, reduce them as recovery progresses
- Coordinates with CLSC SAPA hours so private care fills the gaps the public system doesn't cover
- Weekend and holiday availability—seven days a week, including statutory holidays
- Starting from $35/hour, with Quebec's 40% tax credit bringing the effective cost to about $21/hour
- 12-hour weekly minimum ensures caregiver consistency and retention—your parent deserves someone committed
Who Benefits from Hourly Care?
- Your parent needs help at specific times—morning hygiene, evening meals, medication reminders—but is independent for most of the day
- They're being discharged from hospital and need transitional support (a few weeks to a few months) before resuming full independence
- You've been providing care yourself—before work, after work, weekends—and the schedule is no longer sustainable
- The CLSC provides some hours through SAPA, but it's not enough and the timing doesn't match your parent's real needs
- You want to try professional care before committing to a live-in arrangement or more intensive schedule
- Your parent lives alone and you want someone checking in daily—not just for tasks, but to notice if something has changed
- They need more care than a companion but less than 24-hour supervision—somewhere in between
- After a fall, surgery, or health change, they need extra support while they recover and regain confidence
What's Included
Morning & Evening Routines
The bookends of the day are where most families need help. Morning visits cover getting out of bed, bathing or showering, dressing, grooming, breakfast, and morning medications. Evening visits handle dinner preparation, medication reminders, nighttime hygiene, and getting safely into bed. For many clients, these two windows are enough to keep them independent for the rest of the day.
Personal Care on Your Schedule
Bathing, toileting, incontinence care, mobility transfers, dressing—whatever your parent needs, delivered during the hours you choose. Unlike the CLSC, which assigns visit windows that may not match your parent's actual routine, our schedule is built around when they wake up, when they eat, and when they go to bed. Their schedule, not ours.
Meals & Medication Management
Grocery shopping, meal preparation according to dietary needs, and medication reminders timed to prescription schedules. The caregiver prepares meals your parent will actually eat—respecting cultural preferences, medical restrictions, and the dishes they've loved for decades. Medication documentation is available for the CLSC nurse or family physician to review.
Companionship & Outings
Hourly visits aren't just about tasks—they're check-ins. The caregiver notices if your parent seems more confused than yesterday, if they're eating less, if their mood has shifted. They accompany your parent on walks, drives to appointments, trips to the pharmacy or dépanneur, and social activities. For someone who lives alone, that regular human contact is as important as any physical care.
Light Housekeeping
Laundry, dishes, tidying common areas, taking out garbage, making beds, and keeping the home safe and organized. Not a cleaning service—practical household tasks that keep the environment safe and comfortable between visits. For clients at fall risk, the caregiver also checks for hazards: loose rugs, cluttered pathways, poor lighting.
Flexible Scheduling & Easy Adjustments
Start with a baseline schedule—say, Monday-Wednesday-Friday mornings—and adjust as you learn what works. Need to add a Thursday evening shift? Done. Parent recovering well and ready to drop a day? No problem. We adjust weekly if needed, with the same caregiver handling the new schedule whenever possible. Life doesn't follow a fixed template, and neither should care.
Our Whole Person Approach to Hourly Care
Physical Activity
Targeted exercises and mobility support during each visit — focused time that makes every hour count for your parent's physical health.
Diet & Meals
Meal prep for the day, grocery shopping, and nutritional support that ensures your parent eats well even between visits.
Social Ties
Regular check-ins that prevent isolation — a familiar face who knows your parent's stories, interests, and the little things that matter.
Mental Stimulation
Focused cognitive activities during each visit — card games, reading, conversation, and stimulation tailored to your parent's interests.
Calmness & Purpose
A predictable schedule your parent can count on — same caregiver, same time, same reassuring routine that reduces anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Three mornings a week, Claude helps my father shower, makes breakfast, and walks him to the park. It's not full-time care — it's exactly what we need, and nothing we don't.”
Pierre Desrosiers
Town of Mount Royal
Related Services
Let's build an hourly care schedule that works for your family
Build a schedule that fits your life — adjust anytime as needs change.
Related Articles
How to Choose a Reliable Home Care Agency in Montreal
Finding the right home care agency for your loved one can feel overwhelming. Learn the essential questions to ask, red flags to avoid, and key qualifications to look for when selecting a trusted care provider in Quebec.
Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer's: A Guide for Montreal Families
With nearly 772,000 Canadians living with dementia, understanding these conditions and available care options is crucial for families. Learn about early warning signs, home care benefits, and how to create a supportive environment in Montreal.
Navigating Canada's Home Care Staffing Challenges: What Montreal Families Need to Know
Canada's home care industry faces persistent staffing shortages that affect care quality and accessibility. Learn about the root causes, impacts, and solutions shaping Montreal's home care landscape.