When faced with the challenge of looking into the various care options that there are out there, for an elderly loved one, most families instinctively go down the traditional residential care home route.
While these residential care homes can be suitable for some, there’s another option that is often overlooked yet offers unparalleled benefits, that option is live-in care.
Whether your loved one requires some extra support with their everyday tasks, companion care, or tailored complex care, live-in care provides the ability to stay within the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
Enlisting the help of experienced and compassionate live-in carers through trusted agencies like us at Access Care can offer yourself and your loved one a solution that really is life-changing.
In our next Access Care guide we are going to look at why live-in care is a great alternative to traditional residential care homes, and why a family-run agency with over 30 years of expertise, like ours at Access Care, might be your best choice for trusted, reliable, and personalised care.
What is Meant By a Residential Care Home?
A residential care home is a care facility where people, typically the elderly or those who are in need of ongoing support, live and receive 24 hour around-the-clock care from trained staff members.
Residential care homes are designed to provide a safe and secure environment for their residents, catering to the physical, emotional, and social needs of their residents.
Residential care homes typically include shared or private rooms and communal areas where their residents can take part in group activities or socialise with other residents.
Residential care homes offer many services to ensure the well-being of their residents, such as:
Personal care – Assistance with day-to-day tasks like bathing, dressing, and grooming.
Meal preparation – Nutritious meals provided three times a day, often tailored to dietary requirements.
Housekeeping services – Cleaning, laundry, and maintaining a tidy living environment.
Medication management – Ensuring residents take their medication on time and as prescribed.
Health monitoring – Regular check-ups and access to medical professionals when necessary.
While residential care homes are beneficial for those who are living with high-level support needs, they can often feel quite restrictive, as they remove people from their familiar surroundings and impose on them a structured daily routine.
For those who value things like their independence and the comforts of their own home, this can feel like a really significant adjustment.
This is why it is always a good idea when looking at care options to explore all avenues such as live-in care, which offers the required support while also preserving a client’s independence and familiarity.
What Is Live-In Care?
Live-in care is a care service that involves having a professional live-in carer move into your loved one’s home to provide them with 24 hour round-the-clock live-in care support.
This could range from help and assistance with personal care and household chores to companion care or managing conditions such as dementia or parkinsons.
Unlike the one-size-fits-all approach that is often taken in a residential care home, live-in care is a tailored care solution that adapts to the specific needs of the live-in care client.
By staying at home, your loved one gets to maintain their own independence, their daily routines, and a sense of belonging -these are all things that are so often compromised when moving into a care facility.
At Access Care, we pride ourselves on matching qualified, compassionate live-in carers to our live-in care clients based on their unique and specific care requirements.
This helps us to make sure that not only are personal care needs of the live-in care are met but also that their personalities align, helping to naturally build genuine companionship.
Why Consider Live-In Care Over a Residential Care Home?
Lots of people instinctively lean toward residential care homes when the need for full-time assistance arises. However, live-in care has so many advantages that are especially appealing to elderly people who value familiarity, independence and comfort.
1. The Comfort of Home
Living in their own home means your loved one can enjoy familiar surroundings, maintain their own daily routines and be surrounded by meaningful memories and their belongings. For those who are living with a dementia diagnosis, this familiarity is particularly crucial in reducing their confusion and anxiety.
2. Truly Personalised Care
Residential care homes often face challenges in providing tailored one-on-one care simply due to staff-to-resident ratios. On the other hand live-in care guarantees that the live-in carer’s sole focus is on the person that they are there to support, offering an unmatched level of attention and care.
3. Continued Independence
Home is where your loved one can maintain their independence, choosing when they want to wake, eat, or carry out their day-to-day routines and activities. Live-in care naturally enables and encourages them to continue leading a life that feels like their own while still having the dedicated help and assistance from their live-in carer nearby.
4. Family Reassurance
Live-in carers not only provide their live-in care clients with practical support but also act as a companion, making sure that your loved one never feels lonely or isolated. Family members can rest easy knowing their parent or relative is safe, happy, and cared for and even well-fed, thanks to the lovely home-cooked meals that their live-in carer can provide for them! At Access Care, many live-in care clients share how their loved one’s lifeline has been transformed with a live-in carer in place.
5. Cost-Efficiency
Despite what many expect, live-in care is a care solution that offers excellent value, especially for elderly couples. While residential care home costs typically double for a couple, live-in care costs remain consistent, making it a more affordable option.
6. Pet Companionship
For pet owners, live-in care ensures that their beloved pets can remain by their side. Pets often play a really big role in the emotional well-being of a live-in care client, providing them with comfort and companionship. With a live-in carer present, daily pet-related tasks such as feeding, walking, and grooming can be managed without a worry. This allows both the live-in care client and their furry friend to continue enjoying each other’s company while maintaining their own routine and bond.
7. Familiar Environment
One of the greatest advantages of live-in care is that live-in care clients can stay in the comfort of their own home. Being surrounded by their familiar belongings, memories, and a known neighbourhood. THis all helps to enhance their emotional well-being and reduces the stress on them that is often associated with moving to a care facility.
Live-in carers not only help and support their live-in care clients daily tasks but also provide them with emotional support and companion care. Most live-in care clients forge meaningful relationships with their live-in carers, which helps to reduce feelings of loneliness and means that they always have someone to talk to and share their daily moments.
9. Personalised Care
Live-in care is tailored to the unique and specific needs and routines of the live-in care client. Unlike a residential care facility, where staff attend to multiple residents, live-in carers can develop a detailed understanding of their live-in care client's preferences, hobbies, and priorities, ensuring highly personalised and attentive care.
10. Independence Preservation
Staying in their own home allows live-in care clients to maintain their independence and continue living life on their own terms. They can decide their daily schedule, enjoy their chosen hobbies and activities, and retain a sense of control over their environment, which can really work to boost their confidence and quality of life.
11. An Appealing Alternative to Residential Care
For many individuals, the idea of moving into a residential care facility can feel overwhelming and undesirable. However, live-in care offers an overall more appealing option for those who wish to receive the support they need without leaving the comfort of their own home. Live-in care allows them to stay in their own familiar surroundings while benefiting from one-on-one, tailored live-in care support provided to them by their live-in carer. It provides a great balance between maintaining personal independence and making sure that all their care needs are met in a way that aligns with their personal preferences and lifestyle.
How Does Live-In Care Work?
Transitioning to live-in care is really straightforward when working with a trusted agency like ours. Access Care and other live-in care agencies shoulder the hard work for you. Here’s how the live-in care process works:
Step 1: Understanding Your Needs
At Access Care, we take the time to listen to your story. What are your loved one’s specific needs? Are they living with any long-term conditions and how does that affect their day to day life? What’s their personality like? Understanding these key details helps us to identify the perfect live-in carer match.
Step 2: Carer Matching
Based on your personal preferences, whether it’s a need for a pet-loving live-in carer, someone who is comfortable with driving, or one that is highly experienced in complex care needs, we match you with professional and qualified live-in carers. All of our live-in carers are thoroughly vetted for skill, compassion, and reliability.
Step 3: Trial Period
Many families appreciate the opportunity to trial live-in care before they make any long-term commitments. This live-in care trial period helps everyone feel more comfortable and confident about the live-in care arrangement.
Step 4: Continuous Support
With over 30 years of experience in the live-in care field, at Access Care we remain on hand throughout the live-in care journey to provide ongoing support and guidance to live-in care clients and their families.
What Types of Support Can a Live-In Carer Offer?
Live-in carers play a diverse role in ensuring both the comfort and well-being of their live-in care clients. Here are some of the daily tasks that a live-in carer commonly helps and supports with:
Personal Care: Assisting their live-in care client with daily personal hygiene tasks such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting to ensure the live-in care client's comfort and dignity.
Medication Management: Providing their live-in care clients with reminders or assistance with taking their prescribed medications on time and in the correct dosage.
Household Tasks: Helping their live-in care client with basic household chores, including cleaning, laundry, and keeping living spaces tidy and safe.
Meal Preparation: Preparing their live-in care client nutritious meals tailored to the live-in care client’s dietary requirements and preferences to promote overall health.
Companion Care: Offering emotional support for their live-in care client, engaging them in meaningful conversation, or taking part in hobbies with their live-in care client to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Mobility Assistance: Supporting their live-in care client with getting around safely, whether within their home or on outings, to enhance independence and quality of life.
Errand Running: Handling tasks such as grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions, or attending appointments with or on behalf of the live-in care client.
Specialised Care: Managing more complex needs, such as dementia care at home or palliative care, where a higher level of care expertise is needed.
Short-Term Respite Care: Providing temporary relief for primary carers by taking over the care responsibilities for a short period of time. Short term respite care is designed to help make sure that the live-in care client continues to receive proper live-in care while their usual carer takes a much-needed break to rest, recharge, or attend to personal matters.
The Costs of Live-In Care
The costs of live-in care can really vary depending on the specific needs of the live-in care client, the level of live-in care that is required, and the location of the live-in care service. Typically, live-in care is an affordable alternative to a residential care home, especially for those who prefer to stay in the comfort of their own homes. Expenses usually cover the live-in carers accommodation, food, and professional live-in care services.
For those who have more complex needs, such as specialised medical care or 24-hour live-in care assistance, the costs may be higher due to the expertise and availability required.
Despite these variations, live-in care is often considered a cost-effective care solution that preserves a higher quality of life for the live-in care client while providing peace of mind for their loved ones. It's always recommended to request a detailed quote from the care provider to understand all associated expenses.
When comparing the costs of live-in care to residential care homes, there are several factors that come into play. Residential care homes often charge fees that cover accommodation, meals, and care services, this typically leads to a fixed monthly or annual cost. These care fees can really vary quite greatly depending on the level of care, location, and quality of the facility.
On the other hand, live-in care tends to offer more flexibility in terms of costs, the live-in care service can be tailored to the live-in care client’s specific and unique needs. For those who are in need of extensive one-on-one live-in care support, live-in care may provide better value for money compared to the standard fees of residential care homes, particularly when only one client is being cared for.
Not only that but choosing live-in care means that live-in care clients and their loved ones are able to avoid costs that are associated with relocating and can help preserve a sense of familiarity and independence by remaining in their own home.
Is Live-In Care Right for Your Family?
The decision to explore live-in care often stems from various scenarios, such as:
Your loved one has increasing care needs but has a strong wish to stay at home.
You’ve noticed that your loved one is showing signs of loneliness or isolation.
Your loved one is living with a condition like dementia or Parkinson's that requires dedicated help and support.
You or other family members need reliable short term respite care.
If any of these situations resonate with you, live-in care could be the empowering and compassionate care solution that you are looking for.
Is There Anyone That Live-in Care May Not Be Suitable For?
While live-in care naturally offers so many benefits to its clients and their families, it’s important to note that it may not be suitable for every situation.
For example, if your loved one is in need of highly specialised medical care that can only be provided in a hospital or clinical setting, alternative care options might be more appropriate for them.
Also, if your loved one’s home environment cannot be adapted to meet essential safety requirements, such as wheelchair accessibility, live-in care may not be the best fit in that instance.
However, for many families, these challenges can often be addressed by consulting with care professionals and making the necessary adjustments.
Ultimately, live-in care remains to be a compassionate and personalised care solution for those who wish to keep their independence and comfort at home.
Why Choose Access Care?
Founded in 1994, Access Care is a family-run agency that has helped thousands of families across the UK find the very best, experienced and compassionate live-in carers. With just over three decades of proven live-in care expertise, here’s why families continue to trust us:
Impeccable Customer Service: We’re here to listen, guide, and support you every step of the way.
Comprehensive Vetting: All of our live-in carers are rigorously vetted for your peace of mind.
Tailored Matches: Whether you need a live-in carer skilled in in home dementia care or a language-specific companion, we’ll introduce you to the perfect match.
Fast Turnaround: Need care urgently? We can arrange a live-in carer within 48 hours, or less!
Most importantly, we are firm believers in the saying “there’s no place like home.” Keeping your loved one happy, safe, and cared for in their familiar home surroundings is at the heart of everything we do.
Additional Resources for Support
If you would like further information or assistance, there are several charities and organisations that can help guide you through the process of finding the right care solutions:
Age UK: They offer free advice, support, and resources for older adults and their families. Visit their website at www.ageuk.org.uk or call their helpline for guidance.
Carers UK: Provides expert advice and support for caregivers, including financial assistance and legal information. Learn more at www.carersuk.org.
Alzheimer’s Society: A brilliant resource for families dealing with dementia, offering support services and practical advice. Visit their website at www.alzheimers.org.uk.
Local Authorities: Many local councils have dedicated care support teams to help identify services available in your area. Be sure to check your local authority's website for more details.
These organisations are here to make sure that you feel supported every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them for any questions or additional help.
Takeaways Before Deciding
If you’ve been considering a residential care home as your only option for your loved one’s care needs, it’s definitely worth taking a closer look at what live-in care offers.
Not only can it provide your loved one with the hand-picked, tailored help and support that they need, but it also allows them to flourish in the place they love most -home sweet home!
Live-in care is a fantastic alternative to residential care homes because it offers personalised support tailored to your loved one's unique and specific care needs, all while allowing them to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
This not only promotes their independence and emotional well-being but also provides them with one-on-one care that is hard to match in a care home setting.
By choosing live-in care, you ensure a higher quality of life for your loved one in a place that they love most.
Speak to a Live-In Care Specialist
Finding the best care solution for your loved one is no easy task, but we’re here to make the process both simple and seamless.
If live-in care sounds like a good fit for your family, why not give us at Access Care a ring on 01264 319 399?
We're ready to listen and guide you towards the care solution that works best for you and your family.
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