Are you thinking of enlisting the services of a home carer but are undecided about which form of care is best for you? To help you decide, we will explore the two main types of home care: live-in care and visiting care. We will discuss the benefits of both to help you decide.
Whether your health needs require 24-hour care or just some gentle support on an ad hoc basis throughout the week, there is a home care service to suit your needs. Understanding what each form of care entails is the first step to making that all-important decision and planning your care to perfection.
For more information on live-in care, take a look at our live-in care guide.
What is live-in care?
Live-in care is a form of home care in which a carer resides in the home of an individual requiring care. By being on hand at any time of day and night if required, individuals can benefit from round-the-clock care to fully support their health needs.
A live-in carer can assist you or a loved one as soon as you wake up, helping with getting out of bed, personal care, and cooking a nutritious breakfast. Similarly, they are there at the end of the day to help prepare you for a restful night’s sleep.
There is also the option to choose overnight care for those individuals who are wakeful at night and require assistance with toileting. This form of care also offers reassurance and helps with settling people who experience distress during the night time hours.
What is visiting care?
Visiting care, on the other hand, does not involve a home carer staying with you or a loved one in your home. This form of care is suitable for fairly independent individuals with mild to moderate care needs, who need help with specific tasks or visiting at certain times of the day or week. Visiting care is not advisable for those with more substantial health needs.
A visiting carer pops in to support an individual at pre-arranged times, daily or weekly. During these visits, they can help with personal care such as bathing or dressing, meal preparation, or even providing transportation to and from appointments or social engagements.
Similarly to live-in care, visiting care can be designed around an individual’s care plan, helping out with the everyday activities that they may be beginning to struggle with as they age.
Live-in care vs visiting care
This handy table compares the two to help you decide whether live-in care or visiting care is the best fit for you or your loved one.
Live-in care vs assisted living
| Live-in Care | Visiting Care |
|---|---|
| Round-the-clock support | Support offered at specific times of day/week |
| Live-in carer resides in your home | Visiting carer lives off-site |
| Private space needed for live-in carer within the home | No designated area needed for visiting carers |
| Personalised one-to-one care | Personalised one-to-one care |
| 24-hour care is an option | Visiting care is suitable for fairly independent individuals |
| Someone to talk to throughout the day | Set hours of care each day or week |
| Care can be adapted to suit your routine and needs throughout the day | Visiting carers may not be available to provide extra support outside set hours |
Despite their differences, both live-in care and visiting care can support individuals in many ways throughout their day.
Live-in and visiting home carers can typically help with:
- Personal care – toileting, bathing, dressing and grooming
- Meal preparation
- Transportation to and from appointments and social engagements
- Medication management
- Facilitating hobbies and interests
- Light housekeeping
- Mobility assistance
- Companionship and someone to talk to
To understand these duties in even more detail, you can read our guide on What do live-in carers do?, which explains the day-to-day responsibilities of a full-time home carer.
How Country Cousins can help
If you decide that live-in care is the most appropriate form of care for you or your loved one, your first step should be to contact an introductory live-in care service such as Country Cousins. At Country Cousins, we offer a variety of different types of care at home services, depending on your individual health and care needs.
With more than 60 years of experience, we have extensive expertise in a wide range of home care services. You can trust us to help you find the most suitable carer to support your loved one in line with their personal preferences and wishes. For more information on selecting live-in care for you or your elderly loved one, check out our guide to live-in care.
Talk to our team today
If you require live-in care for you or your loved one, get in touch with us at Country Cousins today. We are the UK’s longest-serving introductory care agency, having provided compassionate care to people in their own homes since 1959.
Give us a call today on 01293 224 706 should you have any questions about home care. Our experienced team is on hand to help from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm & Saturday, 10am to 4pm.. Alternatively, contact us through our online enquiry form
