Live-In care is a type of personal, dedicated support where a carer moves into your home in order to better look after you.
It is a popular care choice for people who need around-the-clock support, but don’t want to move to either a nursing home or assisted living.
Live-In care balances your health needs and your desire for comfort, stability and independence. Unlike care homes, assisted living and other options, live-in care isn’t a big, scary adjustment. There’s no packing, no new neighbours and no change in postcode. You’ll live where you’ve always lived – a home you know and love.
Who is Live-In Care for?
Having a live-in carer means always having someone to lend a hand. From help with daily tasks to support with mobility issues and health monitoring, live-in care can bring independence when you want it and expert medical help when you need it. For many people, a live-in carer also provides companionship and reassurance.
Who Live-In Care is For
- Older adults with age-related conditions
- People recovering from surgery and illness
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s patients
- Families caring for a loved one in need
What Live-In Carers Do
- Personal Care – Help looking after the house and yourself
- Mobility Assistance – Help getting places comfortably
- Medication Support – Reminding you what medicine to take when
- Emotional Support – A friend when you need them most
- Specialist Care – For Dementia or Alzheimer’s patients
- Post Hospital Care – For help settling back into everyday life
Live-In care services are always tailored to you and can be updated to fit your ever-changing needs.
What’s the Right Level of Care for You?
Live-In care is just one option. There are other types of ‘domiciliary’ care – support that takes place in the home – each suited to a person’s unique needs.
- Hourly Care – Sometimes called ‘home help,’ hourly care is like live-in care, only your carer doesn’t live with you. Hourly carers bring non-medical assistance at regular intervals throughout the week. They can be great for people who want help with a few things, like preparing meals, shopping and picking up prescriptions.
- Temporary Live-In Care – This is the same as live-in care, only for a set amount of time. It can be really helpful for people who are in recovery, either from an operation or a sudden illness. Temporary care can be a simple solution for times when dedicated, expert care is required.
Live-In Care Vs. Care Homes
Care homes and assisted living residences are facilities where older people can move for late-in-life care. These are great for fostering old-age communities, and each one has its own strengths. Care homes can give you 24-hour support, while assisted living also helps safeguard your independence. However, while these two options are great for lots of people, live-in care can provide benefits that other care arrangements can’t.
In care facilities, attention is shared. Live-In care means personalised, dedicated, around-the-clock care in the comfort of your own home. You are always the priority, and care is crafted to fit your own needs and preferences.
Plus, when care comes to you and your home, you get to stay put. There’s no big move, and you don’t have to leave behind the memories you have made. Live-In care places value on those emotional connections you have to the place you love.
The Cost of Live-In care
Depending on your circumstances, your local council might contribute to the cost of home care. But you may have to pay for some or all of it yourself. What you’ll contribute depends on your income and savings. The council will work this out in a financial assessment (means test). See our guide on UK funding for more information.
Getting Live-In Care
If you want the council to help with Live-In care for you, start by asking them for a care needs assessment. Even if you don’t want the council’s help, a needs assessment will help you explain what support you need from a carer.
You can either hire a carer directly or you can go through an agency. Whatever you choose, do your research and pick the best option for you. If you go through an agency, things you might consider are:
- Do They Provide 24/7 Support?
- Are They Regulated?
- Do They Only Hire Highly-Qualified, Vetted Staff?
- Do They Guarantee Training and Development for Their Staff?
SweetTree Home Care Services
Choosing the right live-in care option is essential to ensuring the highest quality of life possible. SweetTree provides one of the best live-in care options available, and is part of the 1% of providers who can say that they’ve been rated ‘outstanding’ on two occasions. Their process is so straightforward.
Just make an enquiry, and one of our care managers will carry out a non-commitment, individual face-to-face assessment to understand your specific needs and circumstances. This will even include a risk and environmental assessment.
We will then draft a personalised care plan, with your input and needs in mind. We will use this to match you with the right support workers and assign you a dedicated care manager, coordinator, and quality surveyor to act as a cohesive support team.