What caregivers do, by category
| Category | What that includes |
|---|---|
| Personal care | Bathing and showering, dressing, grooming, hair and oral care, toileting and incontinence care, transfers, walking support and repositioning |
| Meals and nutrition | Planning, shopping, cooking to dietary needs, sitting and eating together, encouraging fluids, monitoring appetite and weight changes |
| Household | Laundry, dishes, bed linens, tidying living areas, kitchen and bathroom hygiene, taking out rubbish, keeping walkways clear of trip hazards |
| Medication support | Reminders, opening packaging, observing that doses are taken, noting missed doses and reporting them |
| Transport and errands | Medical appointments, pharmacy, grocery shopping, bank trips, social visits, accompanying rather than dropping off |
| Company and engagement | Conversation, cards and games, music, reading, walks, hobbies, video calls with family, getting out of the house |
| Safety and observation | Fall risk watching, supervision, noticing changes in condition, mood or behavior and reporting them to family and the nurse |
That last row is quietly the most valuable. A caregiver who is in the home several times a week notices the swelling, the skipped meals or the new confusion long before a family member visiting on Sunday would, and long before it becomes a hospital admission.
What a typical four-hour visit looks like
- Arrival. A greeting and a genuine check: how did the night go, how are they feeling, any pain, did they sleep and eat.
- Personal care. Shower or a wash, dressing, grooming, which is often the part that most restores dignity and mood.
- Medication reminder at the right time, with a note of anything missed.
- A meal, prepared and eaten together. Eating alone is one of the main reasons older adults stop eating well; company at the table matters as much as the food.
- Light housekeeping while conversation continues: a load of laundry, dishes, a tidy-up, hazards cleared.
- Something that is not a task: a walk, cards, a favorite programme, an errand out of the house, a call to a grandchild.
- Before leaving: tidy up, set out anything needed later, make sure the phone and water are within reach, and write up the visit notes for the family and the nurse.
What caregivers do not do
- Medical and clinical tasks: wound care, injections, IV, catheters, administering medication. Those need a licensed nurse. See caregiver versus CNA versus home health aide for who can do what.
- Heavy cleaning: scrubbing floors, moving furniture, windows, garages, or cleaning up after other people in the household.
- Financial control: handling banking, being added to accounts, or accepting gifts. A reputable agency forbids this outright, and you should be wary of anyone who suggests otherwise.
- Medical decisions. Those stay with the family, the physician and whoever holds power of attorney.
Will it be awkward having someone in the house?
Honestly, sometimes at first, for a week or two. Then something shifts. The visit becomes the part of the day your parent looks forward to, and the relief for the family is enormous. Two things speed that along: keeping the same caregiver rather than a rotating cast, and starting small, with a couple of short visits doing non-personal tasks before any hands-on help begins.
If your parent is refusing outright, that is common and solvable; see when a parent will not accept a caregiver for the approach and the words that work.
How the plan gets built
Before care starts, a registered nurse visits the home and builds a written care plan: what help is needed, when, how your loved one prefers things done, what to watch for, and who to call. It is reviewed as things change. That plan is what separates real caregiving from someone simply sitting in the house, and it is also how you hold an agency accountable. To see what it costs, read home care costs in Las Vegas, and to size the schedule, how many hours you need.
What does an in-home caregiver do all day?
A typical four-hour visit covers a welfare check and a chat, help with bathing and dressing, medication reminders, preparing and sharing a meal, light housekeeping such as laundry and dishes, some activity or a walk, and tidying up before leaving. The exact mix comes from a written care plan built around your loved one, not a generic checklist, and it changes as needs change.
Do caregivers do housework?
Light housekeeping related to the person's wellbeing, yes: laundry, dishes, changing bed linens, tidying living areas, cleaning the kitchen and bathroom for safety and hygiene. Caregivers are not house cleaners, so heavy cleaning like scrubbing floors, moving furniture, window washing or cleaning up after other members of the household is outside the role.
Can a caregiver drive my parent to appointments?
Usually yes. Many caregivers transport clients to medical appointments, the pharmacy, the grocery store and social outings, either in the client's car or the caregiver's, depending on the agency's policy and insurance. Confirm the arrangement and the insurance coverage before the first drive, and expect the caregiver to accompany them inside rather than just drop them off.
Can a caregiver give my mom her medication?
Generally a caregiver may remind, hand over a bottle, open packaging and observe that a dose was taken, but may not administer medication, give injections or manage an IV. Those require a licensed nurse. If your loved one can no longer manage their own medications reliably, ask about a nurse doing a medication setup and review, which is often the safer arrangement.
What will a caregiver not do?
Caregivers do not perform medical or clinical tasks such as wound care, injections, IV or catheter care. They do not make medical decisions, handle your loved one's finances or banking, or perform heavy household cleaning and maintenance. If a task falls outside the role, a good agency will tell you plainly and offer the right person for it instead.
Last reviewed August 2026. General information, not medical advice. Specific duties are set by the written care plan and by Nevada scope-of-practice rules.