Care options for the elderly
There comes a time in all our lives when we need a bit of extra support. If you or a loved one are finding it increasingly difficult to live independently at home, you may be considering what different care options are available. This may be hard to accept for the individual needing assistance and stressful for their loved ones.
Making decisions about the support you or your loved one needs can be confusing. Gone are the days when the only choice for an elderly person needing extra help was to be cared for by family or move into a residential care home. In the UK today there is an increasingly aging population due to a drop in birth rates and people living longer. There is also a higher number of old people living alone than 50 years ago.
These changes have seen a rising number of seniors facing decisions about what care they need. Thankfully today, there are many different types of care options available, especially for elderly people who want to remain in the comfort of their own homes but need some extra support, such as live-in care.
If you are new to the world of care for the elderly you may be wondering how, for example, live-in care vs care home support is different, or what other types of care options are open to you.
Comparing care options for the elderly
In this guide, we highlight the different types of care available for the elderly and compare them to live-in care.
Here is an overview of the different types of care and their main advantages and disadvantages:
Residential care home
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Round-the-clock care | Costly |
| Organised activities | Regimented daily routine |
| No domestic chores | Loss of independence and privacy |
| Meals supplied | Unfamiliar setting |
| Pets not allowed / personal possessions are limited | |
| Set visiting hours |
Residential nursing home
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Round-the-clock care | Costly |
| No domestic chores | Separation from spouse and pets |
| Meals supplied | Regimented daily routine |
| Loss of independence and privacy | |
| Unfamiliar setting | |
| Personal possessions are limited | |
| Set visiting hours |
Live-in care at home
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Round-the-clock care | Sharing home with a live-in carer |
| Personalised one-to-one support | Home adaptations may be needed depending on mobility |
| Retain independence | Carer needs should be considered |
| Comfortable and familiar settings | Often thought of as expensive |
| Able to stay with spouse/pets | |
| Control over daily routines | |
| Support with all aspects of personal and home care | |
| No restrictions when you see family/friends |
Domiciliary care/visiting care at home
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Personalised one-to-one support | May not always be the same carer |
| Retain independence | Limited daily time with the carer as they have other people to visit |
| Comfortable and familiar settings | No round-the-clock support |
| Retain living with spouse/pets | Exact visiting hours may vary if the carer is delayed due to a previous house visit |
| Control over your daily schedule | |
| Support with all aspects of personal and home care |
24-hour care at home
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Round-the-clock care with dedicated night carer | Sharing home with a live-in carer |
| Personalised one-to-one support | Home adaptations may be needed depending on mobility |
| Retain independence | Carer needs should be considered |
| Comfortable and familiar surroundings | Can be expensive as 2 personal carers are needed |
| Retain living with spouse/pets | |
| Control over a daily schedule | |
| Support with all aspects of personal and home care |
Assisted living – residential/semi-independent
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Retain some independence with self-contained housing | Requires moving out of your home |
| Support 24/7 for emergencies | Not suitable for advanced or complex care needs |
| Organised social activities | Can be costly and if costs increase it can be difficult to move |
| No support with housework or daily chores |
Live-in care vs care home
Live-in care describes care given in the comfort of one’s own home by a professional caregiver who lives with the client. This is a great option for people who want to remain living independently in their own homes but have complex care needs such as very reduced mobility, dementia, or cancer, that need support through the day or night.
Live-in care means that a carer will live in the home, actively caring for and supporting the person’s needs during the day and on call at night if they need help, such as going to the toilet. This is a very flexible care option, as it can be changed at any time, and includes personal care, support with household chores, and other daily tasks such as doing the laundry, grocery shopping, and collecting prescriptions.
A care home on the other hand describes a privately run residential care unit where many elderly people live on a permanent basis and are taken care of by the professional carers who work at the care home. The client has their own bedroom and during the day spends time in the communal areas. This is a good option for people who do not want to remain in their own homes or keep their own daily schedule but do want round-the-clock care.
With both live-in care and care homes the client will have access to carers 24 hours a day and can be of similar price. In fact, live-in care can be cheaper, especially for couples (each person’s situation is unique so it is not possible to give ballpark figures).
Live-in care offers personalised one-to-one care so the client and carer build a bond together whereas, in a care home, there will be different care staff on duty and sharing their time amongst the other care home clients.
To compare live-in care vs a care home one must consider the preferences of the person requiring care; Do they love living at home? Will their mental and physical health decline in a residential setting? Do they have pets or a spouse that they want to remain living with?
Maintaining independence is important for people as they age, and the majority of elderly people say they prefer to remain living in the comfort of their own homes where possible.
Live-in care vs 24-hour care
The terms live-in care and 24-hour care are often used interchangeably, and while they are similar there are some key differences.
Live-in care refers to a professional caregiver coming to live in the home with the client so they are available to provide care and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
24-hour care is very similar, however, with 24-hour care there is a dedicated carer on shift and awake during the night for any care needs the client may have. Whereas with live-in care, there is usually one carer who is on shift during the day, but available to be woken up at night for any unforeseen needs.
Typically 24-hour care requires two carers; one to work the day shift and one to work the night shift. The day shift carer lives in the home with the client and the nighttime carer comes to the house in the evening and leaves in the morning when the day shift carer takes over.
Both live-in care and 24-hour care are provided in the comfort of one’s own home, causing minimum disruption and distress to the person receiving care and allowing them to retain their daily schedule and preferred way of living. This can be crucial for some, such as in the case of Alzheimer’s, as people with Alzheimer’s may find any changes to their environment particularly confusing and upsetting.
24-hour care is suited to people with complex health needs, such as advanced dementia or palliative care, that may require 24-hour assistance with medical needs, toileting, or avoiding nighttime distress or wandering. 24-hour care can be more expensive than live-in care as it requires two personalised carers. The costs of live-in care and 24-hour care can be comparable to a care home.
Live-in care vs domiciliary care
Domiciliary care, also known as visiting care or hourly care, describes care given at home by a professional carer. Domiciliary care typically involves one or more carers visiting the home to give care and support for a short time on a daily basis, at a specified time.
Domiciliary care doesn’t have to be every day, it could be several times a week, but typically it involves daily visits for a minimum of 30 minutes or 1 hour. It is also common for people to have more than one care visit a day. For example, one visit in the morning to assist with washing, dressing, and medication, and another visit in the evening to help with the bedtime routine.
Domiciliary care is suitable for people who are fairly independent and are able to or have other support, to take care of things like household chores, cooking, and running errands. It is not suitable for people who need support throughout the day or night. In such cases, live-in care would be more appropriate as it allows the carer to stay with the elderly person all day, helping with anything the person needs, no matter what time of day or night.
With live-in care, there is a single dedicated carer who gets to know the client’s needs, preferences, and personality. The carer becomes a close companion and can assist with all aspects of independent living such as trips out and about, social activities, or a walk in the park.
Live-in care alleviates loneliness which can be a common problem for the elderly. In comparison, with domiciliary care, there may be several different care staff that visit and their time is limited. There may be few opportunities to build a personal relationship or for the carers to learn personal preferences.
Live-in care vs assisted living
Assisted living, also known as extra-care housing, offers more support than sheltered housing but still allows people to live independently through personalised care in a residential setting.
Residents live in self-contained flats, which can be rented or bought. Staff are usually available 24 hours per day to provide personal care and support services. This care is tailored to the person and can include help with washing, dressing, going to the toilet, and taking medication. Domestic help, such as shopping and laundry, and meals may also be provided.
Both live-in care and assisted living offer personalised care and daily living support. They both enable private and independent living, although assisted living requires a move into an assisted living residence, while live-in care is provided in one’s existing home allowing the client to stay in the community they know and love.
The cost of assisted living varies depending on whether you rent or buy accommodation, the scheme you choose, the level of care you need, and where you want to live. Therefore, it’s not possible to give an average or ballpark figure as the services offered vary so much by site and individual needs.
Considering the costs of assisted living can be difficult. There will be ongoing charges for the care and assistance provided, as well as a regular ‘service charge’ to cover the management and upkeep of the scheme. If you are renting a property there will be rent to pay, and if you have bought a property on a leasehold basis (housing for older people is mostly sold leasehold), there will be ground rent.
Additionally, you will pay council tax, water rates, and energy bills. Some charges for water and fuel may be part of your service charge if they are for communal areas, such as water to a communal laundry or fuel bills for lighting and heating the corridors or a communal lounge.
It’s important to be clear about all the charges you will have to pay, including any one-off fees such as administration or exit fees, before you make a commitment. Also check how and when any regular charges, such as service charges or care charges, can be increased.
Assisted living may be appropriate for people who need daily support but want to retain the privacy of independent living. However, it is not suitable for people who have ongoing support needs throughout the day and night or need specialised care such as in the case of diabetes care or cancer care. By comparison, live-in care offers round-the-clock support from a dedicated carer whilst remaining in a much-loved home and community.
Home care with Country Cousins
Here at Country Cousins, we are the U.K.’s longest-serving live-in care agency with over 60 years of experience in caring for people in their own homes. We take care of over 500 clients every week, offering compassionate and professional care for the elderly, those convalescing at home, and disabled adults who need extra support to live independently.
We offer a range of flexible care options to suit your individual needs. If you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in touch with our friendly team today on 01923 2244706. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8 am until 6 pm. Alternatively, fill in our online enquiry form.
FAQs
What are the different types of care?
- assisted living/ sheltered housing
- visiting care/domiciliary care
- care homes
- nursing homes
- live-in care
- 24-hour care
Who can have live-in care?
Live-in care is suitable for anyone who has care needs throughout the day and night, such as people convalescing after a hospital stay, palliative care patients, adults with disabilities, or elderly people with Alzheimer’s.
How do I know which care type is for me?
Deciding what type of care support is best is a very personal choice and depends on your circumstances such as your support needs, health, care budget, personal preferences, and more. If you are unsure what type of care is best suited to your needs, get in touch with our expert care team who will be happy to answer all your questions.
