Live-in Care FAQs

Live in care is as simple as it sounds. A fully-trained, professional carer lives with you in your own home to help you achieve a higher quality of life and this can involve:

➤ Providing help with specific tasks
➤ Providing companionship
➤ Enabling you to remain independent as much as possible
➤ Providing a sense of security

24-hour support can be tailor made and match you with the right carer or team of carers that can offer:

➤ Assistance with bathing and dressing
➤ Cooking nutritious meals
➤ Medication reminders
➤ Companionship and outings
➤ Housekeeping and laundry
➤ Getting ready for bed
➤ Pet care

Just the simple act of helping someone out of bed and making them a morning cup of tea or coffee can make all the difference to the rest of a loved one’s day as can the security of another human presence living in their home to be “on hand” whenever required.

We provide the resources so that you can have a fully trained carer living with you under your roof. The carer will require their own room – a comfortable single room to call their own is plenty.

The Live In Care Hub is a collaboration of high-quality care providers that enable people to be cared for within their own homes instead of having to “go into a home”.

Some of our loved ones are very happy within good quality residential care, but many are still unaware of the lesser known option of remaining at home and having their own personalised “live in” carer. The Live In Care Hub was created to raise awareness that this indeed is an option.

The cost is comparable to residential care, but it can make all the difference to the quality of life for a loved one to be able to remain in their home. This is because residential care home fees are mainly for accommodation and food and the actual care given in a 24-hour period, in comparison to live in care, can be significantly less.

The beauty of live in care is that our carers offer 100% care time; and live in fees are even more cost effective when required for a couple. The fees obviously depend on the level of care required and there are several tiers of support available from simple companionship care with minimal personal care right through to complex care that may include nurse-led services and dementia care.

You can find out more about care funding here.

It is important to remember that everyone’s needs are different and so all options should be considered when weighing up the benefits of residential versus live-in care.

The Live In Care Hub is a not-for-profit, unbiased resource that can help match you to the right service provider and carer (or team of carers) for you, whether your needs are simple or complex. You can choose from:

Full management
This is where one of our providers hires and trains its own care staff with clients and their loved ones deciding what level of service is required. This can include 24/7 care which oversees some medical needs, and this can provide peace of mind for a busy family; knowing that their loved one is being fully taken care of.

Introductory service
This is where one of our introductory agencies offers a pool of highly qualified, self-employed agency staff for you to choose from. A typical scenario would be a maximum of 3 carers provided throughout the year; with the transition from one member of care staff to the next carried out carefully to ensure continuity of care.

Find a live-in carer here.

You may be entitled to supplementary funding from the government in the form of attendance allowance or personal independence payments which can help towards
the cost of live in care. You may also be entitled to funding under the NHS Continuing Healthcare scheme; anyone is entitled to a free assessment to see whether they will get help towards the cost of care needs.

Usually families will have to pay for live in care; we recommend that you get in touch with Care Funding Guidance who are the only not-for-profit organisation within the UK that provides free help and information about funding elderly care. They aim to ensure your finances are in good shape and that your particular care costs are transparent from the outset.

Live in care can start from as little as £695 per week. Obviously, this will vary depending on the care provider/agency and the specific needs of the client. The area in which you live will also affect the cost with the South-East of England and particularly London being higher than the average cost. However, this average cost compares favourably with residential care but offers a complete one to one level of care. For couples needing care it can be more cost-effective than two care home places.

Home care services offer a person-centred alternative to residential care that enable a loved one to feel as though they are still a part of everyday life. With home care, a client can remain in their home in familiar surroundings and routines with as little or as much help as they need to go about their daily activities.

Home care services are usually delivered without the carer living in the client’s home.

There are several avenues open to you. If you wish to arrange home care or live-in care via your local council then you will need to get in touch with the local authority and request a needs assessment which is free. If you meet the criteria you will be eligible for care provided via the local authority.

If you are not eligible for local authority funding you can arrange for a private carer through one of the live-in care companies operating across the UK. You can find companies that operate in your area via a postcode search,

Irrespective of your financial situation; you can always contact a private care provider directly. The Live In Care Hub offer free, impartial advice for anyone considering live in care.

All members of the Live-in Care Hub pride themselves on the quality of their carers. Many train their staff to extremely high standards .

What experience do I need to be a live-in carer?
A willingness to care for and help others is the main ingredient. The 3 main qualities are:

➤ First aid experience
➤ Professional experience of caring for elderly or vulnerable people
➤ Personal experience.

Many people begin giving care from a young age for family members without even being really aware that they were “carers”.

Specialist training for special people
You would need to attend several rounds of interviews and pass all security checks. If successful; you would then need to be prepared to undertake specialist training to ensure you deliver the utmost in quality of care. All of the care companies that are members of the Live-in Care Hub are looking for special people to fulfil these important roles. You can find vacancies here

Yes. As long as it is safe to do so. It can be of immense benefit for the person living with dementia to remain in familiar surroundings. Many family and friends offer help and support to their loved ones with these conditions but if this is not possible or becoming a struggle; live in care can help ease the strain.

Many people; especially those more mildly affected, can be cared for safely at home for many years but as these conditions progress, there may come a time when their needs are no longer able to be met. This is because carers are not responsible for:

➤ Heavy moving and lifting
➤ Constant night care (2 or more carers manage 24hr shifts)

However, if clients have changing care needs than the care package can be adapted to include night time interventions. Nursing care can also be provided. These additional elements may mean that your loved one is able to live for as long as possible in their own home.

Live in care may not be the right option if the person displays very challenging behaviour. The safety of both the carer and client is paramount to ensure the best working relationship and care package is in place.

Not necessarily. The same assessment and funding process/options apply as they do for a limiting physical health condition.

If you are receiving support in your own home you are still entitled to keep a basic level of income.

You may need to pay for all of your care whether you are living in your own home or in residential care. This means you are a self-funder or you may make a contribution with the local authority and/or the NHS providing funding under the continuing care scheme.

The simple answer is: yes for non-complex medical conditions. Nursing care differs from regular care at home because it is provided by qualified nurses. Many clinical care services can be provided alongside normal home care so that all care needs are safely provided in comfort without having to go to hospital.

Nurses can deal with the following in your own home:

➤ Tracheostomies
➤ Incontinence
➤ Stomas
➤ Catheters
➤ Tube feeding