Choosing and hiring your attendant
This is the decision the whole program is built around. You are the employer. Nobody — not us, not DHSS, not a hospital discharge planner — can assign someone to you or take that choice away.
Who you can hire
Missouri law excludes exactly one relationship. RSMo 208.900 defines a personal care attendant as “a person, other than the consumer’s spouse.” Everyone else is fair game:
- Adult sons and daughters
- Parents
- Brothers and sisters
- Grandchildren and other relatives
- Friends and neighbors
- Someone you meet through us
They must be legally able to work in the United States, pass required background screening, and complete onboarding. Full attendant requirements →
If you do not have anyone in mind
Plenty of people do not, and that is not a barrier. We recruit attendants across the St. Louis area and can put candidates in front of you. You interview them. You decide. We will never install someone in your home over your objection.
Questions worth asking a candidate
Even when you are hiring a relative, it is worth treating this as a real conversation about a real job. Useful questions:
- Are you comfortable with personal care — bathing, toileting, dressing?
- What hours can you genuinely commit to, every week?
- How will you get here, and what happens if your car breaks down?
- Have you done this kind of work before? What was hardest about it?
- How would you handle it if I fell and could not get up?
- Are you comfortable taking direction from me about how I want things done?
The last question matters more than people expect. Family members in particular sometimes slip into deciding what is best for you rather than doing what you have asked. Naming that expectation at the start prevents a lot of friction later.
Being a good employer
Supervising is part of the deal. In practice that means being clear about how you want tasks done, saying so early when something is not right, keeping to the schedule you agreed, and reviewing timesheets honestly before you sign them. Your signature is a verification that the hours are accurate — treat it that way.
Your full rights and responsibilities →
Replacing an attendant
Sometimes it does not work. The person is unreliable, the fit is wrong, or circumstances change. You can discharge your attendant — you are the employer — and you do not lose your services or your authorized hours by doing so.
Call us at (314) 809-6655 before or as it happens. We will manage the payroll end and help you onboard the replacement so the gap in your care is as short as possible.
If your attendant has harmed you, taken from you, or frightened you, that is not an employment matter — it is a safety matter. Call us, and call the Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-392-0210. More on reporting →
Ready to take the next step?
Call (314) 809-6655 for a free consultation, or text (314) 886-5902. We serve St. Louis City, St. Louis County and Missouri communities within about 40 miles of our office.