What Happens in a 2-Hour Visit
- 15 minutes: Travel time to and from the home
- 2 minutes: Review previous caregiver notes and visit tasks
- 30 minutes: Shower assistance
- 15 minutes: Simple breakfast from scratch
- 10 minutes: Make and leave premade lunch
- 20 minutes: Tidy and light housekeeping
- 23 minutes: Companionship
- 5 minutes: Documenting the visit activities
The time needed for each task is personalized to that individual's abilities and can vary day to day. If someone with Parkinson's has a bad day, their shower may take an hour instead of 30 minutes. When an essential task runs over, some non-essential tasks get pushed to the next visit.
Cost Breakdown
Two-hour skilled private home care on Vancouver Island costs between $40 to $70 per hour with an average of $53 per hour for nurse-supervised caregiving.
CommunityPlus offers competitive rates at $50 per hour with the best service flexibility and value proposition. We're here whether you need 1 hour a week or 24 hours a day.
Also see Home Care Basics: How much does Private Home Care cost on Vancouver Island (2026)
Travel Time Reality
Travel to your home is typically 15 minutes for urban locations, taken from the total visit time. A 2-hour visit in town is actually 1 hour and 45 minutes onsite.
Travel time is a cost that home care employers are required to pay employees for under BC labour law. People who need care in remote locations require more travel from the visit time, which means longer visits for the same care needs.
Red flag: If a home care provider says "Clients get the full hours they pay for," they're downloading travel costs onto caregivers, often with large scheduling gaps. Good caregivers don't stick around for those practices, and it's not compliant with BC labour law.
Additional Expenses
Expenses are items like groceries paid for by the caregiver, paid parking on escorts, transportation fares, or meals out. Examples include:
- $5 for parking while escorting you to an appointment
- $78.23 to purchase groceries when the grocery card isn't set up yet
- $400 for the caregiver to accompany you on a flight
- $30 per diem each day when not providing food for a live-in caregiver
Premiums and Extra Charges
Premiums vary among home care providers and could be charged for short visits, weekend visits, or higher care levels.
Many providers state they need to evaluate and assess you before they can provide a bill rate, and that rate may go up based on service needs. CommunityPlus has a single base rate that covers all skilled caregiving care needed.
CommunityPlus charges $11 for visits less than 2 hours long. Most providers have a 2 to 3 hour minimum and don't provide shorter visits. Despite what some claim there is no legal requirement in BC for visits to be at least 2 hours.
CommunityPlus charges $6 for hours occurring on weekends. This is uncommon among providers, but it provides supply and demand control that helps us maintain stable service through weekends. The cost increase from this premium for consistent daily service is $1.71 per hour. Using the bank debit discount nearly offsets this premium.