Here we look a bit more in depth at live-in care at home and answer some questions that people may have about live-in care.
What does live-in care mean?
What level of support should I expect from a live-in carer?
How will I know live-in care is for me?
What is the cost of live in care?
Can I get financial support with 24 hr care?
How do I find a live-in carer?
Live-in care is when someone comes to stay with you in your home and is there to support you in your home 7 days a week. It is a professional service that you pay for to enable you to remain in the comfort of your own home; making life easier and safer for you. Live-in care can be ideal for people who require continual support and want to remain at home. You would expect to have one person living in your home with you, getting to know your likes and dislikes and ready to support you in whatever way you choose. It might be worth thinking of the live-in carer as your own personal assistant who can be the extra pair of hands and feet, fitting into your rhythm and life.
The tasks live-in carers do vary considerably, and they should always be things that make it easier for you to carry on living as independently as possible. You should be the one to decide what the live-in carer supports you with and when you want that support. You can view it as a bespoke service; tailor made care just for you.
The types of tasks that live-in carers can carry out should be what you need the support with and can be a range of things such as:
Companionship is a huge part of the role, many people find that this becomes one of the main reasons they enjoy having a live-in carer; someone to chat to and have around the house, someone who is looking out for them and interested in their life; ensuring they are living the life they choose. For many people this reassurance of having someone all day every day, getting to know preferences and be ready to give a helping hand, as well as staying the night is the peace of mind they and their family are looking for.
If you are worried about being on your own and dealing with the frustrations of not being able to do the things you usually do to keep safe and well, you might want to consider live-in care. If you would like one-to-one support for a substantial part of your day and you would feel happier having someone around each day every day, then it might be an option for you to consider. If you would rather get to know just one person who can know all your likes and preferences; and want to remain at home doing what you usually do with some support, then live-in could be the solution.
A really important consideration is the financial cost of live-in care. The cost of having full-time live-in care is usually comparable to the cost of a nursing home or care home with the added advantage of staying at home, having bespoke care and support and not having to move.
While it is difficult to give the exact cost of live in care, as a rough guide at the moment, you would be looking at paying approximately £1,500 per week for a live-in carer but this does depend on where you live and the level of support that is needed.
Care home fees in Herefordshire typically start at £1,000 per week and can go up to over £1,500 per week depending on the level of nursing care required. Cost of Kemble at Home Live-in care can be found here.
All reputable care companies or private live-in carers will give you an up-to-date price so you know exactly what the costs are before you agree to use their services.
Have a look at our guide to obtaining financial support for live-in care at home. There are a few different options available that can mean you get some financial help towards help at home.
You have two options, either find a private live-in carer and employ them directly yourself or use a company who will find someone on your behalf and employ them and deal with all of the administration around this. There are benefits to both which we have outlined below.
For private live in carers you can ask others for their recommendations, word of mouth can be very helpful. You could write your own advert or you could look for adverts of people offering their services.
A good place to start if you want to use a care companies is the Home Care UK website which provides recent reviews of people using their services.
