Live-In Care Compared to the Alternatives

Choosing the Best Type of Elderly Care for Your Loved Ones

When our loved ones can no longer manage their lives alone, it is usually up to their children or closest friends or relatives to work out what options are available to them.

Each has advantages and disadvantages, but once you understand the dynamics and implications of each, the decision usually becomes very clear.

This article explores the differences between private live-in care, care agency live-in care (there is a huge difference!), domiciliary care, residential care homes, daycare centres, and visiting carers.

Private Live-In Care

Private live-in care involves a professional caregiver moving into the individual's home to provide assistance. This type of care can be customised to address the specific needs of the person, offering round-the-clock support while enabling them to remain in the comfort of their own home.

Benefits of Live-In Care

Personalised Attention

Live-in care offers a high level of personalised attention. Unlike residential care homes, where caregivers are responsible for multiple residents, a live-in carer focuses solely on one individual. This tailored approach ensures that the person's specific needs are met, whether it be daily activities, medication management, or emotional support. The carer can be chosen to match their client's personality, interests and other skills, such as driving, cooking or pet care.

Continuity of Care

Live-in care significantly enhances continuity of care. The same one or two caregivers remain with their client, building a strong rapport and understanding their preferences, routines, and health needs. This consistency is particularly beneficial for conditions such as dementia.

Comfort of Home

One significant advantage of live-in care is that it allows individuals to stay in their own homes. This familiar environment positively impacts their mental and emotional health, providing security and reducing anxiety.

Flexibility and Independence

Live-in care offers greater flexibility compared to other types of care. Caregivers adapt to the individual's schedule, providing support when needed while respecting their independence. This flexibility ensures that the person’s routine is not disrupted, maintaining a sense of control over their daily life. As the family controls the contract, it is also easy to swap carers in or out if their client wants a change for any reason.

Companionship

Isolation and loneliness are common concerns among older adults. Live-in care provides constant companionship, reducing loneliness and enhancing the individual’s quality of life. Engaging in conversations, hobbies, and activities with the caregiver fosters a meaningful relationship and promotes emotional well-being.

Crucial Background Checks

Crucial background information on the carer, including police checks, references, CV, interviews and other documents can be examined before a decision is made.

Cost

Good private carers, who are usually more skilled and experienced, are paid £900 - £1000 per week on average. However, private live-in care is still much less expensive as clients can avoid the high overheads of care agencies and residential homes.  

Disadvantages of Private Live-in Care

Proper checks are critical when it comes to care and people are often too trusting. Sadly, there are many stories about unscrupulous or unskilled carers breaking the trust of their clients. Never rely on trust and always insist on seeing all the carers’ references and documents yourself.

Ensure that care plans, background checks, contracts, and agreements are finalised before agreeing to anything. This is uncommon with private carers found online, through advertisements, or via certain unreliable introduction agencies.

A high-end Introduction Agency such as Home Care Companions Ltd. will offer free advice and will do all this for you.

Compared to Other Types of Care

Live-in Care: Care Agency

Having ‘care agency’ carers is usually a very different experience to having your own private carers. Care agencies have to comply with basic training criteria and have high recruitment, advertising, administration and management costs to take into account. Care agencies often won’t disclose how much they are paying their carers and how much they keep for themselves.

On average, agency carers usually get paid about £600 - £900 per week and the care agencies charge a further £900 - £1200 per week on top.

Carers are often new to the job, new to the country and many have little experience. References often go unchecked.

Clients are often given little or no choice in which carer they get and turnover can be high. Clients are rarely given the opportunity to inspect background information or safety checks on the carers.

Residential Care Homes

Residential care homes provide a communal living environment where individuals receive care from teams of carers. While these facilities can offer social interaction and structured activities, they may not provide the same level of homeliness or personalised attention as live-in care. The transition to a care home can also be challenging, leading to feelings of displacement. For clients who have advanced dementia, suffer from violent or aggressive episodes, have high support needs through the night or need hoisting or palliative care, this may be a more suitable option.

Daycare Centres

Daycare centres offer daytime care and activities for older adults, allowing socialisation and participation in various programmes. However, they are not for everyone, do not provide 24/7 support and may not be suitable for those with significant health or mobility issues.

Visiting / Domiciliary Carers

Visiting or domiciliary carers provide scheduled visits to assist with specific tasks like bathing, dressing, and medication management. While this allows individuals to remain at home, the unpredictable visiting times and limited duration of visits may not suit everyone. Mornings and evenings are busy times, so clients relying on domiciliary care may find they have to wait a long time for help to get up in the morning or they may be put to bed very early, depending on the availability of staff. A lack of a consistent caregiver can affect the quality of care and comfort.

Conclusion

Choosing the right type of care for a loved one is a critical decision that depends on their individual needs and preferences. Live-in care stands out for its personalised attention, continuity, and comfort, as it allows individuals to stay in their own homes. While other types of care have their merits, live-in care provides a unique blend of flexibility, companionship, and tailored support that can greatly enhance the quality of life for those needing assistance.

Ultimately, the decision should be made carefully, considering health, emotional well-being, finances and personal preferences, thus ensuring the highest standard of care and support for loved ones.

A summary Care Choice Comparison Chart can be found at www.homecarecompanions.co.uk