Whats in this section?

Whats in this section?

What is Live-in Care

Live-in care is when you have a care worker living in your home with you. They will support you in the day and at night. The carer must be allowed breaks and have somewhere to sleep at night.





Who might need this type of care

Care for ongoing or progressive health needs

Ongoing conditions like cerebral palsy, dementia, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s all have their challenges; however, a live-in carer can support many aspects of everyday life.
From mobility assistance and household tasks to monitoring changes in health and accompaniment to medical appointments, a live-in carer can enable the individual receiving care and their family to maintain a reasonably normal lifestyle.

They can help with:

  • Administering medication
  • Personal care such as bathing and changing clothes
  • Accompanying you to medical appointments
  • Cooking and food shopping
  • Laundry and keeping your home clean and tidy
  • Maintaining communication with medical professionals

Care support to help you recover after a hospital

Research shows that people recover faster at home after staying in the hospital than if they were to remain admitted. Recovery from an illness or surgical procedure with the support of a live-in carer means that you’ll receive specialist support in the comfort of your own home.

Live-in carers can support with:

  • Accompanying you to outpatient appointments, doctors’ appointments and physiotherapy appointments
  • Safely helping you with moving around your home
  • Cooking meals and fetching your food shopping
  • Laundry and keeping your home clean and tidy
  • Personal care such as bathing and changing clothes
  • Prompting or administering medication
  • Your family will have peace of mind knowing that a professional can respond quickly to any alerts or emergencies

End-of-life & palliative live-in care services

Receiving care at home from a live-in carer means no upheaval and no disruption. The aim of this is to ensure the person receiving care feels comfortable and secure.
Live-in carers have training for specialist equipment and liaise with healthcare professionals such as GP’s, ensuring that the support they provide is focused on fulfilling all care needs.

No matter your circumstances, live-in carers can support you with:

  • Respectful, compassionate and dignified care
  • Emotional support for family and friends
  • Using specialist equipment
  • Personal care such as bathing and changing clothes
  • Administering medication
  • Flexible support as physical needs change
  • Choice in how and where you would like to be cared for
  • Cooking and food shopping
  • Home help such as laundry and keeping your home clean and tidy
  • Companionship
  • Communication with medical professionals




Types of Live-in Care

Managed

With ‘managed’ live-in care, an agency will take an active role in all aspects of the care you or your loved one receives. ‘Managed’ services are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, which means they are regularly assessed to ensure their practices, policies, and procedures align with government standards.


Your care management team will usually visit to discuss your requirements and circumstances, in addition to conducting a risk assessment to ensure everyone will be able to reside safely in the property.


Your care management team will create a custom support plan, and they will provide a selection of profiles to choose from for live-in carers who fit the criteria in terms of the support they can provide.


The agency is responsible for more than just organising and monitoring your care; they also manage interviewing, training, employing and paying your care assistant.

Self-managed

Self-managed live-in care is also known as ‘introductory live-in care’ because the role of the care agency is to introduce you to a self-employed carer.

With self-managed live-in care, the agency has less involvement than they would with a managed service. The agency will usually conduct a telephone assessment of your needs before starting a vetting process on the self-employed assistants they introduce to you. The agency’s vetting process will include an enhanced DBS/CRB certificate, right to work in the UK and complete reference checks.

Once an assistant has been matched to your needs and introduced, you will be responsible for arranging any amendments to the care plan with them. You will be responsible for paying them directly, in addition to a fee to the agency for their introductory service. The self-employed live-in carer will arrange their taxes and insurance.

The care management team at the agency will be in regular contact with you and your carer to ensure everyone receives the proper support.

Due to the level of responsibility, introductory live-in care is best suited to families who would like to be as involved and ‘hands-on’ as possible.





The Benefits

There are many benefits to this type of home care service.

  • Not having to move into a new home.
  • 24-hour bespoke support.
  • You have more support than ordinary home care.
  • You might have more independence than if you moved into a care home.
  • Enriched quality of life
  • Better value for money than a care home
  • Companionship

Live-in care is also helpful if you need a bit of support while your carer goes on holiday or has a break; this is also called respite care. Some live-in carers can even be hired for a short time to support you while you go on holiday.

If you’ve just had an operation or the hospital doesn’t want you to go home without support in place, a live-in carer can help until a more permanent solution can be found.

If you are thinking of employing a live-in carer, you can search for companies on this website.

Make sure that you consider your options carefully. For example, you might only need visits from a home care agency. Alternatively, a care home might be a better option for you. Another form of accommodation with support might also be suitable.

Look at the benefits of each type of service and ensure you know how much each one costs before you make any decisions.





The Costs of Live-in Care

The cost of live-in care, or 24-hour care is dependent on the level of support you or your loved one requires. It also varies from area to area. Self-managed live-in care usually starts from around £1,000 per week, and managed live-in care usually starts from about £1,400/ £1,800 per week.

Points to remember:

The amount of time you’re planning to have live-in care for will decide the cost. The minimum duration for placement is usually two weeks, but different providers may offer other options. The cost of care is traditionally quoted per week, and you will receive regular invoices from this.

What next?

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