For over 60 years, Country Cousins has introduced families across the UK to experienced live-in carers who support them in their own homes. As the country’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency, established in 1959, we match more than 400 families a day with a carer suited to their needs, routines and preferences.
Live-in care allows a person to receive one-to-one support at home rather than moving into a residential setting. This page explains what live-in care in the UK involves, what a live-in carer does, and how Country Cousins helps you find the right person for your household.
What is live-in care?
Live-in care is a form of home care where a trained carer lives in the home and provides support day and night. It offers a practicalalternative to care homes for anyone who wants to stay in familiar surroundings while receiving the help they need.
A live-in carer supports one person or a couple at a time, so the care is shaped entirely around that household. This is different from visiting care, which is delivered in short, scheduled slots. With live-in care, support is on hand throughout the day and overnight, and it can cover anything from companionship and help around the house to more advanced personal care.
Country Cousins works on an introductory basis. This means we introduce you to a carefully selected, self-employed carer, and you or your family stay in control of the day-to-day arrangement. It is a flexible model that gives you a choice over who comes into your home and how the care is organised.
What does a live-in carer do?
A live-in carer provides continuous, one-to-one support in the home. The exact tasks depend on the level of care needed, but they generally fall into two categories.
Standard live-in care suits those who need extra help around the home, mainly during the day.
This can include:
- Mobility support and steadying
- Help with washing, bathing, dressing, shaving and oral hygiene
- Assistance getting to and from the toilet
- Prompts for tasks, appointments and important information
- Support with cooking, eating and light housekeeping
- Companionship and emotional support
- Help running errands
Advanced live-in care suits those who need fuller support across a wider range of needs, such as:
- Supervision when moving around the home
- Full assistance with dressing, washing, bathing, shaving and oral hygiene
- Continence support and full assistance with toilet hygiene
- Commode, bottle or catheter bag emptying
- Symptom monitoring
- Assistance with eating and drinking
- Medication and prescription prompts
- Support for dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or MS
- Housekeeping and cooking
- Companionship and emotional support
A live-in carer is not there to take over. The aim is to help someone maintain their independence, routines and quality of life at home, with support available whenever needed.
Live-in care for elderly parents
Many people first consider live-in care when an older parent or relative starts to need more day-to-day support than the family can manage alone. A full-time carer for an elderly parent at home can help with personal care, meals, medication, mobility and companionship, so your loved one keeps their independence and stays in the home they know.
Live-in care for the elderly also offers reassurance to families who live farther away or are balancing care with work and their own households. Because the carer lives in, someone is on hand day and night, which can reduce the worry that comes with a parent living alone. You can read more about our approach to elderly care at home and how we match carers to each person.
Country Cousins introduces carers who suit not just the practical needs but the person. Where possible, we look for someone local, with relevant experience and shared interests, whether that is cooking, gardening or a shared love of pets.
Why choose Country Cousins for live-in care
Country Cousins has been introducing families to live-in carers since 1959, making us the UK’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency. Over 400 families trust us each day to find and match them with the right person.
Rather than manage the care ourselves, we introduce you to carefully selected, self-employed carers and give you a say in who supports you. You stay in control of the arrangement, with the flexibility to shape the care around your household.
When help is needed quickly, we can often introduce a live-in carer in as little as 24 hours. Whether the need is urgent, short-term or long-term, our team talks through your requirements and works to find a suitable carer as quickly and safely as possible.
If you are weighing up your options, our guide to introductory versus managed live-in care explains the difference and helps you decide which suits your family.
Types of live-in care we provide
We introduce carers across a wide range of home care needs, so the support can adapt as circumstances change.
These include:
- Dementia care at home for those living with dementia or Alzheimer’s
- Respite care to give a family carer a break, or to support recovery after a hospital stay or operation
- Couple care for two people who want to stay together at home
- Disability care for adults of any age who need extra support
- Overnight care for those who need help through the night
To see the full range and what each involves, you can download our live-in care brochure.
How our live-in care works
We take time to understand each person before recommending a carer. That means looking at care needs, location, daily routine, mobility, interests and personal preferences, and then finding a carer whose skills, experience and personality are well-suited.
When matching clients to carers, we consider:
- Care needs: including whether specialist or complex care and manual handling are required
- Location: where possible, we introduce a carer local to you
- Interests: we look for a carer who shares hobbies such as reading, gardening or crafting.
- Other requirements: mobility, social routines and anything else that helps the match work
Arranging care takes three simple steps:
- Call us. Have a no-obligation, confidential conversation with our team about your care needs.
- Register. Go into more detail with a member of our care team, who will take time to understand your requirements.
- Begin care. Our Customer Relationship Executives identify and match you with a suitable live-in carer
Live-in care Frequently Asked Questions
ll the carers Country Cousins works with are trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults, moving and handling, and basic life support. Many have broader skills and experience in areas such as dementia support, physical disability support, medication handling and personal care. This helps them meet each client’s needs while delivering a flexible service shaped around individual preferences.
Yes. You have a say in choosing your live-in carer. Our selection process aims to match you with a carer well-suited to your needs and preferences. Once we have made a selection, a Client Relationship Executive calls to introduce the carer and arrange a call between you both. If you are happy, we will schedule the carer’s arrival for your preferred date.
This depends on the carer’s availability, holidays and any previous placements. Many live-in carers work for two to three weeks before taking a pre-arranged break. When a carer is due a break, we match you with an alternative carer to support continuity.
Once you register, we charge a one-off lifetime registration fee of £280. This covers the initial consultation, setting up your requirements and matching you with a carer, and maintaining an active carer pool so we can arrange care quickly.
Because all Country Cousins carers are self-employed, they invoice you directly for their services, and we offer guidance on recommended rates. You pay the carer at the end of each week, or at the end of the assignment if it lasts two weeks or less.
Introductory live-in care means Country Cousins introduces you to a carefully selected, self-employed carer who supports you at home. This gives you greater choice and flexibility, and lets you or your family stay in control of the day-to-day arrangement. We help find and match a suitable carer, and the carer invoices you directly.
Yes. Live-in care can often be arranged quickly, depending on your needs and carer availability. We support urgent, short-term, and long-term care, including care after a hospital stay, an operation, or a sudden change in circumstances. In urgent situations, our team talks through your requirements and works to identify a suitable carer as quickly and safely as possible.
Talk to Our Team Today
As the UK’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency, we have been providing compassionate live-in care to those who need it since 1959 – all from the comfort of their own homes.
Give us a call today on 01293 224 706. Our experienced team is on hand to help from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm / Saturday & Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Alternatively, contact us through our online enquiry form.
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