Private duty

I've seen ads in the personals/business section of my newspaper. You place the ad.

Also, the agency doesn't "take half the pay"... out of the reimbursement that they get from the insurance agency or the individual if it's a completely private pay client, the agency is also paying your employment taxes (Social Security, Medicare, federal unemployment, state unemployment) and any and all liability/malpractice insurance costs.

The agency also handles your tax withholding and remitting to federal/state/local governments, and the agency has to handle billing the client/insurance (and making sure the insurance forms are all submitted properly), waiting for and following up for payment, and paying you even if they client/insurance doesn't make good on the bill.

The agency also has to send a Registered Nurse to assess the patient every month -- another cost you probably weren't aware of.

There's a LOT more to providing home health aide services than just the client paying $20/hour for 40 hours and you taking home $800 at the end of the week. It just doesn't work like that.

A CNA cannot work independently and must have RN oversight.

In some states CNAs can't work in the home unless they upgrade to CHHA. Actually in some states a CHHA not employed by an agency with RN oversight will have their certificate suspended pending re-employment with a qualified agency.