Live-in care is a popular type of care that enables individuals to receive assistance and support all in the comfort of their own homes. It involves having a perfectly matched live-in carer reside with your loved one in their own home to offer round-the-clock care. Many people turn to live-in home care services as they wish to benefit from this extra support while remaining at home surrounded by cherished memories and familiar surroundings.
Another major benefit of live-in care is that it is a completely personalised service that can be adapted to suit the individual’s needs and preferences. With a one-to-one live-in carer looking after your loved one, you can rest assured that they are receiving the best possible bespoke care.
What are the different types of live-in care?
There are many types of live-in home care services available, depending on the individual’s health needs and other factors. The adaptable nature of live-in care lends itself well to those living with certain health conditions or requiring a flexible approach to the care they receive.
Live-in dementia care
Live-in carers specialising in dementia care understand the challenges encountered by people living with this condition. Choosing live-in dementia care provides the bespoke support people need to help them better manage their symptoms. Furthermore, due to the progressive nature of the condition, live-in dementia care can evolve to provide more support as time goes on.
Live-in respite care
Live-in respite care is a short-term care option that is perfect for filling any gaps in care. Should a regular carer or family caregiver need a break or be unable to care for a period of time, a live-in respite carer can take over. Live-in respite care ensures a smooth handover of care and offers primary caregivers the opportunity to step away from their caring responsibilities.
24-hour live-in care
Some individuals require higher levels of care than others, as everyone’s care needs differ. 24-hour live-in care covers both daytime and night-time care needs, providing round-the-clock support. It involves two carers who exchange shifts to ensure that every hour is covered.
Overnight care
Overnight care, otherwise known as ‘waking night care’, is primarily for individuals requiring help throughout the night. During the night an overnight carer can help with toileting, administering nighttime medication and reassurance during episodes of nighttime agitation. Overnight care offers peace of mind to you and your loved one during night-time hours.
Disability care
For people living with a disability that makes carrying out everyday activities more challenging, disability care can help. Disability care is centred around your loved one’s individual needs and can offer assistance with many day-to-day tasks and aims for an improved quality of life. A live-in disability carer can help with light housekeeping, daily errands, meal preparation and personal care.
As you can see, full-time care at home can be personalised to suit an individual’s needs and preferences and provides so much more than a one-size-fits-all service. For more information on live-in care, take a look at our comprehensive guide to live-in care
What are the benefits of live-in care?
It is easy to see why so many people choose live-in home care services over other care providers. With countless advantages to private live-in care, more and more people are opting for this form of care for their loved ones. The benefits of live-in care include:
- Remaining in the comfort of their own home
- Avoiding the disruption of moving to a care home facility
- Keeping the home they love
- Remaining in the local area surrounded by neighbours, friends and family living close by
- Receiving round-the-clock care
- Personalised one-to-one care to suit their needs
- Maintaining hobbies and routines
- Regular interaction and companionship
What does a live-in carer do?
A live-in carer is on hand to offer assistance and support your loved one as they encounter the challenges that naturally arise as they age. But what exactly does a live-in carer do?
Live-in care is designed to be tailored to an individual’s specific needs, and therefore, how a live-in carer supports each person varies from one individual to another. In general, a live-in carer can provide support with the following:
- Personal care and toileting
- Meal preparation
- Light housekeeping
- Household administration
- Mobility support
- Maintaining an active social life
- Transportation to and from appointments and social engagements
- Medication management
- Arranging appointments
Who is a live-in carer for?
Live-in care is for anyone needing extra help and assistance while remaining as independent as possible in their own home. Whether an individual is finding it increasingly difficult to carry out everyday tasks or has recently been diagnosed with a life-altering health condition, a live-in carer can step in to support them.
Whereas hourly or visiting care is perfect for people who just need a few hours of help a week with certain tasks, live-in care is for individuals who require much more support. You may start thinking about live-in care as your loved one gets older or an ongoing health condition becomes more challenging to manage. Specialised live-in care can provide expert assistance as your loved one’s care needs change.
Specific individuals are more suited to live-in care, and for these people, live-in care is recommended over other forms of care. For couples living at home, live-in care is an ideal choice due to the affordable costs of couple care and the added benefit of remaining together in their own home. Equally, for those living with pets or simply not wanting to give up the home they love, live-in care is an attractive alternative to residential or nursing home care.
Why choose a live-in care service?
Besides the countless benefits that live-in care can offer your loved one, there are additional advantages to arranging live-in care through a live-in care service provider. Country Cousins is an introductory live-in care agency, with over 60 years of experience providing self-employed live-in carers for the elderly across the UK.
An introductory care service, such as Country Cousins, will guide you through the process and introduce you to the most suitable carers for your loved one. Once you and your loved one have settled on a compatible carer, you are in full control of managing care and can flexibly adapt care as needs change.
With this in mind, an introductory live-in care service can offer you and your loved one the peace of mind that they are receiving expert round-the-clock care. What’s more, an introductory live-in care service provides you with a flexible form of care, perfectly tailored to your loved one’s needs and preferences.
How Country Cousins can help
Country Cousins live-in care is a popular alternative to care home facilities and allows individuals to receive extra assistance all in the comfort of their own homes. For families, live-in care provides the reassurance that loved ones are receiving round-the-clock care and support.
Over 400 families trust us daily to match them with the perfect live-in carer. You can depend on us to help you find the most suitable live-in care for your loved one. For more advice on choosing in-home care for your elderly loved one, check out our live-in care guide.
Talk to our team today
If you or your loved one is considering live-in care, get in touch with us at Country Cousins today on 01293 244 706. We are the UK’s longest-serving introductory live-in care agency, having provided compassionate care to people in their own homes since 1959.
Give us a call today. Our experienced team is on hand to help from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Alternatively, contact us through our online enquiry form.
