Caregiver or home nurse? Care for an elderly parent at home

It depends on the care your parent needs, so start with their doctor. For help with daily life, a helper with experience of elderly care may be enough. As of September 2026, MOHRE's employer guide lists 'personal healthcare provider (home nurse)' as a domestic occupation, and says paying one through WPS is mandatory.

MOHRE is the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, WPS is the Wage Protection System for paying salaries, and the Domestic Workers Decree-Law is Federal Decree-Law No. 9 of 2022. Where the official pages we found don't answer a question, such as whether a home nurse needs a health licence, this guide says so and tells you who to ask.

What is the difference between a caregiver and a home nurse?

In everyday use, a caregiver helps an elderly person with daily life, while a home nurse gives nursing care. In MOHRE's rules, what counts is the occupation she is employed in. MOHRE's employer guide lists 'personal healthcare provider (home nurse)', but we found no official page that says what it covers, or whether a caregiver falls under it or another occupation.

The Decree-Law's rules on rest, leave and pay are written for domestic workers in general, so they apply whichever you choose. What the choice changes is the job she does, the occupation she is employed in and what you check before she starts. If you're still deciding between a maid, a nanny and a caregiver, see our guide to maid, nanny, caregiver or housekeeper.

This guide is about a carer you employ yourself. Home nursing is also offered as a service by healthcare providers; we found no official page on how those services are licensed, so ask the health authority for your emirate if you are considering one.

Can you employ a home nurse as a domestic worker?

As of September 2026, MOHRE's employer guide lists nanny/babysitter and personal healthcare provider (home nurse) among the domestic occupations, alongside housemaid and others, all covered by the Domestic Workers Decree-Law.

We found no official page that sets out what the job involves, whether a nurse employed by a family needs a licence from a health authority, or which care tasks need a licensed nurse. We also found none that sets training or certificates for a helper who looks after an elderly parent.

So before you hire, ask your parent's doctor what care is needed. Then ask the health authority for your emirate who may give that care: for example, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Abu Dhabi's Department of Health (DOH) or the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Ask each candidate about her nursing training and any licence she holds, too.

Do you have to pay a caregiver or home nurse through WPS?

If she is employed as a personal healthcare provider (home nurse), yes, according to MOHRE's employer guide. For a helper who mainly looks after your parent day to day, it depends on the occupation she is employed in, and we found no official page that says which one that is.

Ministerial Resolution No. 675 of 2022 made WPS mandatory from 1 April 2023 for five domestic occupations, which it lists as private agricultural engineer, private messenger (PRO), home care provider, private tutor and private trainer. As of September 2026, MOHRE's employer guide splits the domestic occupations in two. Paying a domestic worker through the Wage Protection System is mandatory for private trainers, private tutors, personal healthcare providers, personal PROs and private agricultural engineers, and optional for housemaids, nannies, cooks, drivers, housekeepers, gardeners, security guards and similar roles.

Setting the two lists side by side, we read the resolution's 'home care provider' as the employer guide's 'personal healthcare provider', because the other four titles match. We found no official page that pairs them, or that says what the occupation covers under either name or whether a helper who looks after an elderly parent's daily needs falls under it. Because that decides whether WPS is mandatory, ask MOHRE on 600 590000 which occupation fits the job before you apply.

The occupation matters. For the domestic occupations where the Wage Protection System is mandatory, Ministerial Resolution No. 675 of 2022 treats wages not paid within one month of the due date as late, and the employer's MOHRE file is suspended if wages are not paid through the system within two months. The Decree-Law's own deadline still applies. A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date. Our guide to paying through WPS explains how it works.

What can a live-in caregiver do for your parent?

The job her contract states, which you agree with her before she starts. A domestic worker's contract must be on MOHRE's standard form and state, among other terms, the nature and place of the work and the worker's total pay and how it is paid. We found no official page that lists the care tasks a domestic worker may do, so if anything medical is involved, ask your parent's doctor and the health authority for your emirate before you agree the job.

If your parent's needs change later, the Decree-Law has a rule about changing her job. An employer may not give a domestic worker a different kind of work from the contracted job unless the worker explicitly agrees and the new job is one of the listed domestic occupations. We found no official page that says which tasks count as a different kind of work, so agree the whole job before she starts, and put any later change in writing, with her agreement.

Plan the care around her rest. A domestic worker is entitled to at least 12 hours of rest a day, of which at least 8 must be consecutive. A domestic worker is entitled to one paid day off a week. If a domestic worker works on the weekly day off, the employer must give another day off or pay cash instead.

How do you hire a live-in caregiver or home nurse?

Settle the care first, then the occupation, then find and hire the right person. Step by step, as of September 2026:

1. Ask your parent's doctor what care is needed, and write down a normal day and night: meals, washing and dressing, moving around, medicines, appointments and company.
2. Ask MOHRE which occupation fits the job, on 600 590000. If the care includes anything medical, also ask the health authority for your emirate who may give it.
3. Check that you can sponsor her. MOHRE sets conditions for sponsors and for workers, and our guide to who can sponsor a maid explains them.
4. Find and interview helpers. Browse helpers who list elderly care, watch their video CVs, and ask each one what care she has given, for how long and for whom. Our guides to interview questions and checking references help.
5. Agree the whole job before she starts, including nights and her day off, and make sure her contract states it.
6. Buy the domestic worker insurance policy. Before a work permit is issued, the employer must buy a domestic worker insurance policy that covers the worker's unpaid dues up to AED 20,000.
7. Apply for her work permit. MOHRE's service card (opens in a new tab) lists four steps: log in with UAE PASS; submit the request with the required information and documents; pay the fees; and the permit is issued, or MOHRE tells you what else it needs.
8. If WPS is mandatory for her occupation, pay her through it. Check the occupation with MOHRE first (step 2).

MOHRE lists four channels for the permit: its website, its app, domestic worker service centres and Tawseel centres. Sponsorship is the employer's responsibility; families can manage the visa themselves or ask MaidMatch to connect them with its visa partners. If she is still abroad, her home country may have its own rules on how she is recruited, so check them first. Our guides to hiring a maid in the UAE and the maid visa process cover the routes and each stage of the permit and her residence.

What do you owe a caregiver or home nurse?

The same as any domestic worker. The Domestic Workers Decree-Law sets her minimum rights: a contract can give her more, but any term that gives her less is void. The main ones, besides the rest rules above:

• A domestic worker's wages must be paid monthly in UAE dirhams, within 10 days of the due date.
• A domestic worker is entitled to at least 30 days' paid annual leave for each year of service.
• If a domestic worker spends annual leave in their home country, the employer pays for a return ticket once every two years.
• Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, the employer must provide a domestic worker with suitable accommodation. Our guide to maid room requirements has a setup checklist.
• Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, the employer must provide a full-time domestic worker with meals and work clothing, unless they agree otherwise.
• Under the Domestic Workers Decree-Law, a domestic worker has the right to keep all their official documents, including their passport and ID, and an employer may not hold them.

Health insurance depends on your emirate, and our health insurance guide goes through each one:

• Dubai. Health insurance is required, and you pay. In Dubai, employers must enrol their employees in health insurance, and sponsors must enrol the people they sponsor who have no employer cover; employers and sponsors pay the cost, may not charge it to the insured person, and must produce the policy when a residence permit is issued or renewed.
• The northern emirates. In Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, health insurance for domestic workers has been mandatory since 1 January 2025, paid by the employer; the basic package costs AED 320 a year.
• Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi, as in every emirate, the employer must pay for a domestic worker's medical care under the UAE health system or provide health insurance under the applicable health laws. MOHRE's renewal service says that in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, employers are required to provide adequate medical insurance to their domestic workers.

Her salary is for the two of you to agree. The UAE sets no statutory minimum wage for domestic workers: any floor comes from her home country and applies only to contracts verified through that country's system. Each helper lists her own salary range on her profile. Our salary guide shows what helpers on MaidMatch ask for.

How can MaidMatch help you find a caregiver?

By letting you find helpers who list elderly care on MaidMatch, and talk to them before you decide. Helpers can list 'Elderly parent at home' as a specialisation, and you can filter for it, as well as for live-in or live-out work. Most helpers listed on MaidMatch are already in the UAE and ready to work.

MaidMatch is a free platform for families: they can browse every profile at no cost, with no registration or subscription required. Watch helpers' video CVs first. Families contact helpers directly on WhatsApp, through the Hire button on each profile: ask each one about the care she has given, and match it to your parent's day.