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Are you in Michigan, requesting care from a Papa Pal or looking to become a Papa Pal yourself?
Papa Pals is a companionship caregiver service that partners with certain “Papa Qualified” Michigan health providers and employers.
Since 2021 when Papa Pals expanded to all 50 states including Michigan, how stable and available have Papa Pals services become in the Michigan area?
One popular Papa Pals motto is: “We all need a pal sometimes. That’s why Papa’s here.”
Papa Pals is a company that matches the elderly and disabled with caregiver companions for assistance and a little fun during everyday tasks.
The caregivers who work for Papa Pals company are called Papa Pals themselves. They are part-time companion caregivers primarily for older adults, seniors, and to give the families a little respite.
We’re glad Papa Pals has Papa Pals in Michigan. They provide companion caregiving services to Michigan adults in need.
One unique reason Papa Pals approaches America’s pronounced need for a strong qualified caregiver workforce differently than other companies is, Papa Pals connects clients directly through health plans and employers.
In Michigan, Priority Health is the most prominent example of a health plan provider becoming “Papa Qualified”. Account holders of Priority Health affordable Michigan health insurance are “Papa Qualified” to receive service from a Papa Pal in their city or town.
The conventional caregiver hiring model works in that you find a good caregiver then see if they take your insurance or Michigan Medicaid/Medicare coverage.
Papa Pals goes directly to health insurance plan providers and employers of people with families to support, so that these insured and employed qualify for Papa Pals caregiver services automatically.
The caregiving services provided by a Papa Pal are typically non-medical assistive care.
Papa Pals responsibilities include spending time with older adults, light housekeeping, meal preparation, help with home technology, assistance getting around the house, running errands for groceries and home essentials, and making doctor appointments on-time.
According to one Papa Pals explainer:
To scout down whether or not Papa Pals caregivers are available in my area of Michigan, I headed over to the Papa Pals official Michigan web page.
Since 1891, Michigan has had a total of 83 counties, and in 2024, Papa Pals lists 59 of them on their Michigan web page. According to the Papa Pals website, they offer caregiving services covering over 70% of Michigan counties.
To represent urban Michigan cities, I looked up the Papa Pals hourly caregiver pay rate in Wayne, Ingham, and Kent counties.
To represent rural Michigan towns, I looked up Papa Pals hourly caregiver pay rate in Gratiot, Montcalm, and Barry counties.
In Michigan in 2024, no matter which county you work in, Papa Pals caregivers earn up to $18.00 per hour.
Hiring a Papa Pal works a little differently than most care service providers in Michigan.
To hire a Papa Pal caregiver, you must be enrolled in a health plan or by an employer which provides the Papa Pals benefit as part of their package. You become a Papa Pals Member.
Several different Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and employer-sponsored plans offer the Papa Pals benefit as part of their package.
Contact your health insurance provider or ask your employer if the Papa Pals benefit is available, though such a benefit is typically made well known to those lucky people eligible for Papa Pals.
You cannot directly hire a Papa Pal caregiver yourself, because as we have explained, Papa Pals caregiver services are bundled in with other health and employer benefits packages.
“Papa Qualified” people with the Papa Pals benefit from their health plan or employer can request Papa Pals caregiver services online at papa.com/members or use the Papa app on their phones. After that, you can schedule visits from a Papa Pals caregiver, but cannot contact the Papa Pal directly. Instead, you’re “matched” with the right Papa Pal automatically.
To apply for a caregiver position with Papa Pals, follow three easy steps:
Most county pages list a few cities where Papa Pals has established operations.
To represent urban Michigan, Wayne County lists caregiving job positions in Allen Park, Belleville, Brownstown, Brownstown Township, Canton, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Ecorse, Flat Rock, Garden City, Gibraltar, Grosse Ile, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Woods, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Highland Park, Inkster, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Melvindale, New Boston, Northville, Plymouth, Redford, River Rouge, Riverview, Rockwood, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne, Westland, Woodhaven, and Wyandotte.
To represent rural Michigan, Gratiot County lists caregiving job positions in Alma, Ithaca, and Riverdale (but not yet St. Louis for some reason).
A year and a half ago, I entered my number on the Gratiot County Papa Pals website to fill an application for a caregiver job. At that time, I received a notice that Papa Pals was not available in Gratiot County, Michigan.
Some months ago, I entered my number on an out-of-state page to try for a caregiver position again, but met the same message: “Papa Pals is currently not available in your area, but check back later and apply again!”
I’m positive about the differences Papa Pals enter into the caregiving equation, so I’m a believer who will follow instructions, and apply again at a later time!
