Live-in care is becoming increasingly popular for many reasons. Here we look at how it benefits everyone involved including the client, the carer and the client’s family.
According to the Live-in Care Hub’s “No Place Like Home” Report a staggering 97% of us would rather not go into residential care even if we had become ill and unable to cope. The main alternative to residential care is live-in care or home care which has many, many benefits to all involved.
Live in care or home care is where a person stays in their own home and a person comes and lives with them to provide them with 24/7 care. Here are the benefits of live-in care for each person involved:
The Person Receiving Care
According to statistics from the Live-in Care Hub’s “Better At Home” Report, a person with assisted living is safer than somebody in a care home. The statistics show that they are at a lower risk of getting urinary tract infections, they will suffer a third fewer falls and a quarter of hip fractures compared to being in residential care. Aside from the positive physical aspects of live-in care, emotionally they person is likely to be much happier. They get to stay around all that is familiar to them, keep their pets and they get undivided attention from their carer.
The Person Providing The Care
The person providing the care benefits greatly from their job as a live-in carer. Their pay is reflective of the dedicated and skilled job they do. They also get to make a huge influence on the life of the person they are providing assisted living to, which means their job gives them a sense of making a difference, something most people would love to get out of their career. Their job is extremely varied, which makes for a more interesting day to day career. Importantly, they also get to fully perform their job in the way they want to, making all the small efforts that carers in residential care often don’t have time to do. Having a conversation about the news, helping their client read the paper, taking their client for a walk in the garden. Cooking a proper meal, taking the time to help the client do their makeup or sit with them to watch a TV programme. These are all the small things that make the client happier and that give the carer a complete sense of doing their job properly.
The Family Of The Client
The family of the client benefit from live-in care in many ways. The main benefit is peace of mind. All a family wants for their elderly relative is dignity, safety and to know that the person is happy. It can be crippling knowing that your elderly relative appears distressed or unhappy in their care situation. Live-in care means that the person does not have to go through the distress of being moved, they don’t have to leave all their belongings, their area, their neighbours and local friends. The family is able to pop round regularly and see that their relative is happy. The family also get the physical strain taken away, of having to care for the person themselves. The time they save is also huge, not having to take the person to appointments or social events. Of course we would all love to care for a family member ourselves, but it isn’t an option for everybody for one reason or another, and knowing that a dedicated carer is taking care of your relative 24/7 is a fantastic second best.
Live-in care really does benefit everyone. As you can see, there are many reasons it is becoming more and more popular, and hopefully if you have a relative who needs long term care you can feel safe in the knowledge that you have at least one fantastic option that ensures everyone involved is happy.
Daryl Green 
Paul Petersen