Last Updated: August 29, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • The main different types of care for the elderly include visiting home care, live-in support, and residential care homes, each offering distinct benefits.
  • When deciding how to choose the right type of care, always prioritise the individual’s preferences, daily routines, and officially assessed needs.
  • Research local providers and consider trying options like respite care in advance to avoid making rushed decisions during a crisis.

Beth Britton looks at the differences between the main types of care and provides tips for families

If you need care for yourself or a relative, exploring the different types of care for the elderly will often be your first step. There are benefits and considerations to all types of care, and you may find you need to try different options before you find the one that is right for your relative and family.

This article will explore the most common types of professional care services and provide information and advice to inform decision-making. Making decisions about care can be emotional so I’d recommend reading ‘The emotional rollercoaster of care decision-making’ if researching care is a sensitive topic for you.

About the author: Beth Britton is a consultant, trainer, campaigner and speaker in the care sector. She was a family carer to her father, who lived with vascular dementia for 19 years and experienced three care homes. In 2025 she received an MBE for services to people with dementia and carers. This article was updated in March 2026.

General considerations for all types of care

Personalisation is incredibly important in care and support. SCIE puts it plainly: “Everyone has the right to make choices about how they live and how their support is provided.” All care providers should work with families in the creation and review of care and support plans to ensure their professional services are fully tailored to each individual.

Many care providers now use digital platforms that enable families to log in and/or receive notifications about their relative’s care. If a provider you approach uses these, ask for a demonstration of how they work.

All care providers should take their time to get to know the person and their family, and take an active interest in the person’s likes, dislikes, hobbies and activities – often through life story work. SCIE recommends that assessments record social history, skills, hobbies, activities, interests, diagnoses and treatment as a starting point for meeting individual needs. Do ask any prospective care provider how they get to know the people they support.

Care professionals in all settings should do their utmost to work around your relative’s own routines rather than expecting your relative to fit into the provider’s schedules. This might include mealtimes and getting up and bed times. Always ask how your relative’s preferences will be supported day-to-day.

Care providers who provide regulated care – like personal care – are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. You can view CQC ratings and reports on the CQC website – and it is worth checking the most recent inspection report for any provider you are considering, not just their website or brochure. It isn’t advisable to engage with unregulated and unmanaged care due to the risks posed to both the person needing care and their family.

Care professionals in all settings should have regular supervision and be fully trained, including specialist training where relevant – for example for people with dementia, learning disabilities, brain injuries or motor neurone disease. Care professionals should also have a good command of written and spoken English. Where your relative’s first language isn’t English, check with prospective providers whether they have staff who can communicate in your relative’s language.

Costs and funding options vary greatly depending on personal circumstances. Please view this article from Care Choices: Paying for Care. In England the lower capital limit for means-testing remains £14,250 and the upper limit £23,250 for 2026/27. Where a council funds care, NHS guidance says a person can choose a preferred provider if it meets assessed needs, is affordable within the personal budget, has availability and accepts the council’s terms – a more expensive choice may require a third-party top-up. The government has announced work towards a National Care Service, but this remains at the reform development stage.

Note: The guidance in this article relates to England. Arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ. Always check with your local authority or relevant national body for the rules that apply to you.

Home care: benefits and considerations

Home care (domiciliary care) is the option many people consider first when exploring different types of care for the elderly. Care at home means your relative will have their needs met in their own home, and life will remain much as it has been with the addition of regular visits from a home care professional. Your relative can also remain living with a partner and pets if they are in the home too.

How regular the visits will be depends on your relative’s needs – it could be once or twice a day or more. Good practice is that care visits should be one hour or more each, enabling your relative to have the support they need without being rushed. How needs are being met should remain under constant review, and you should be advised if care needs are increasing.

Types of care can range from general companionship to end-of-life care, and many agencies offer specialist support for people with dementia, Parkinson’s, cancer and other conditions. Staff should be able to provide everything from personal care to medication management, meal preparation to support with hobbies and activities.

Remaining at home can be particularly helpful if your relative has any type of cognitive impairment, due to it being a more familiar space. Doing some environmental work can further enhance these benefits – this guide from the Alzheimer’s Society gives tips for environmental modifications. Your home care agency should also be able to advise if modifications require input from an OT or other specialist, and what help is available from your local authority for home adaptations.

It is worth knowing that home care availability is not guaranteed everywhere. CQC’s State of Care 2024/25 reported home care vacancy rates of just over 10% in March 2025 – more than double the rate in care homes. It is worth asking any prospective provider about their staffing continuity and what happens if your regular carer is unavailable.

Home care can sometimes become unworkable if the person’s care needs increase beyond what their provider can support, or if the home itself becomes unsuitable. It may also need to end if there is a reliance on family members to provide care between visits and family members aren’t able to do this.

Live-in care: benefits and considerations

The benefits of live-in care are broadly similar to those of home care, but with the additional element of having a professional living in your relative’s home full-time. This provides everyone with the comfort of knowing that your relative isn’t alone.

Live-in care professionals offer a range of support – from personal care, medication management and facilitating hobbies to light housework, laundry and cooking – as well as company and companionship. Live-in carers can help with day trips, perhaps even holidays, and weekly tasks like grocery shopping and trips to local community events. Specialist support for conditions like dementia, stroke recovery, frailty and palliative care is also possible.

Having a live-in carer will provide good continuity of care, but that person will need days off, meaning relief carer(s) will come to live in your relative’s home at those times. Ask prospective providers how relief carers are matched and how consistent that cover tends to be in practice.

For live-in care to work, you’ll need a property with a suitable bedroom for the carer. The matching of the live-in carer to the person is vital – good matching should consider shared interests, hobbies and cultural considerations. Any relief carers should also be well-matched. Live-in care can break down if the relationship with the carer isn’t optimal or the home becomes unsuitable for increasing care needs.

Care home benefits and considerations

A care home is a good option if your relative has expressed a desire for the company of peers and the increased social interaction of communal living. It is also a good choice if your relative wants to know that professionals are on hand to support their needs at any time of day or night. Moving into a care home may become a necessity if your relative’s health or mobility declines and remaining at home isn’t feasible, or if home care visits aren’t frequent enough – for example if full-time nursing care is needed.

NHS guidance distinguishes between residential homes, which provide accommodation and personal care, and nursing homes, where qualified nurses are available. As with other types of care, care homes offer specialist support for people with dementia and other conditions that need an environment fully equipped to support each person safely and effectively. Many care homes now use technology – like bedroom monitoring systems – to enhance falls-prevention work.

A range of different professionals often work in care homes, from care staff and nurses through to OTs and physios, alongside housekeeping, catering and activities staff. They may also have visiting professionals like hairdressers and chiropodists. The environment should be clean and adapted to the needs of the people living there.

Important considerations include continuity of care – in a care home your relative is likely to receive care from a number of different people, though best practice is to provide as much continuity as possible. There will likely be a smaller team at night than during the day. CMA guidance on care home consumer law states homes must provide clear upfront information about fees, extra charges and terms and conditions – always ask for these in writing.

With a move into a care home, your relative will also need to leave most of their possessions behind, although the care home should support them to personalise their room with items from home such as furnishings and pictures. Pets aren’t usually allowed, and moving into a care home may also mean leaving a partner at home – although where both people in a couple need care, they may be able to share a double room.

Age UK’s guidance on choosing a care home recommends comparing more than one home where possible, arranging visits, speaking with staff and residents, and checking staffing levels, activities, medication arrangements and all charges. It is good advice – and worth doing before you are in a rush.

How to choose the right type of care

No one can tell you what is right for your relative and your family. When considering how to choose the right type of care, my key advice would be to be guided first and foremost by what your relative wants, as much as is practically possible. SCIE’s person-centred care guidance puts it well: each person’s needs and choices are unique, and people using services and their carers are “experts by experience”. If circumstances dictate – often in a crisis – that it’s impossible for your relative to remain at home (this was the case for my dad), then the decision will largely be made for you.

Some important considerations that can help you understand how to choose the right type of care and avoid being in a crisis include:

  • Complete a Power of Attorney whilst family members are fit and well. A Health and Welfare POA can document what the person wants for their care, giving family members a good understanding of their relative’s wishes well in advance of decision-making.
  • Research care providers in your local area before you need them. This gives you and your relative a chance to visit home care agencies and care homes in advance, ask questions and understand more about what they offer and how different types of care ‘feel’ to you. Being able to use your instincts in a calm and relaxed way – instead of acting at pace in a stressful situation – often results in better decision-making.
  • Don’t delay getting more ‘low level’ care. Home care visits for companionship or light duties can help everyone get used to working with care professionals, and enable your relative to maintain routines and remain as independent as possible for as long as possible. Leaving it until there is an incident – like a fall – often results in less choice of provider, especially if popular agencies in your area have a waiting list.
  • If you aren’t in a crisis situation, use options like respite care to ‘test’ whether you like a particular type of care before committing to it long term. Gather feedback from your relative and stay fully involved in the delivery of the respite package yourself. Read ‘Finding replacement, restorative, respite care’ for more information.
  • Obtain professional advice in advance of needing care to understand fully what your options are. Seek a care needs assessment at your earliest opportunity if care is needed now – this is your starting point for understanding what support you or your relative is entitled to.

Further information on types of care

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of care for the elderly?

The main options are visiting home care, live-in care, and moving into a residential or nursing home. Other related types of care include respite care, day care, and supported living. The best choice depends entirely on your relative’s needs, mobility, and personal preferences. Read more about local availability in our regional care guides.

Is live-in care the same as 24-hour care?

No, having a live-in care professional does not mean they are awake and working every minute of the day. A live-in carer needs adequate breaks and regular sleep to perform their duties safely. If your relative requires frequent support during the night, they may need waking-night cover or rotating carers instead.

How to choose the right type of care for my relative?

Start by requesting a free care needs assessment from your local council to understand exactly what help is required. Consider what support is needed now and what might be required in the next six to twelve months. You should also compare total costs, visit shortlisted care homes, and ask prospective providers how they handle changing needs.

When is a care home better than home care?

Neither option is universally better, but a care home often becomes necessary when a person needs continuous supervision or complex nursing support. It is also worth considering if home visits are not covering needs safely, or if the person would benefit from the regular social contact of a residential setting. You can find more details on this from the NHS guide to care homes.

Do I have to sell my house to pay for residential care?

Not automatically. For non-residential care, the value of the home you live in is generally disregarded in the financial assessment. For permanent residential care in England, the property may count towards your capital, but there are disregards – such as if a qualifying relative still lives there. It is highly recommended to read more about paying for care and seek professional financial advice before making any property decisions.