If you have care needs but want to stay at home, you’ve probably considered home care. However, if you want a bit more companionship and have a spare room, live-in care could be the right choice for you.
In a live-in care situation, a carer stays in your home with you, sleeping there overnight and spending time with you during the day. They’ll provide personal care and help you with light housework, but they can also spend time with you, help you get out and about, and keep you company.
In this guide, we’ll look at what live-in care is, what you can expect of a live-in carer, the cost of care, and where you can find the support you need.
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What is live-in care?
Live-in care is where a professional care worker moves into your home with you. They’ll provide care when you need it, and also companionship.
If you live alone and have care needs, you might struggle to get out and meet up with friends. Disabled adults are much more likely to feel lonely than non-disabled people, so having someone else around can be hugely important for individuals with care needs.
What does a live-in carer do?
A live-in carer can do everything that a visiting home care worker can.
This includes:
- Personal care, such as helping you wash, dress, and go to the toilet
- Medication support, such as reminding you to take medication, helping you to apply medicated creams, or supporting you to take pills, injections, or other meds
- Support with meals, from helping you buy and prepare food through to feeding
- Light housework, such as laundry, vacuuming, and general day-to-day cleaning
- Support with going out, whether you want to go to the shops, attend college, or need help going to appointments
Depending on your needs and their training, some home carers can also support you with tasks such as changing stoma bags, dressing wounds, and keeping up with recommended exercises from a physiotherapist.
Live-in carers are different to visiting home care workers, though.
For one thing, you’ll be their only client. They’ll get to know you well, and spot any subtle changes in your health and behaviour.
A live-in carer won’t be as rushed as a visiting carer – they can spend longer helping you with personal care, and the support they offer you can increase or decrease as your care needs do.
For most live-in carers, the majority of their day will be spent simply being a companion for their client.
Your live-in carer will spend time with you throughout the day, chatting to you and helping you go about your daily routine. You might go on trips together, or just spend time in the house. What’s important is that there’s someone there to keep you company.
What are the limitations of a live-in carer?
If you hire a live-in carer for yourself or a loved one, it’s important to remember that there are some limitations.
They can’t provide 24-hour live-in care.
While a carer might be in your home 24 hours a day, and available in case of an emergency, they can’t work constantly for that time. They’ll need at least a few hours of breaks during the day, and uninterrupted rest periods as well.
They may not be able to handle complex medical needs.
If you have a condition that requires nursing care, live-in carers may not be able to provide the support you need. Instead, you may need regular visits from community nurses, or the constant, specialised care that you could receive in a nursing home.
Some people may also find it a bit intrusive to have someone living in their home with them. If you value your privacy and often prefer to spend time on your own, a visiting care worker is probably the best option for you.
How does live-in care work in practice?
Now you understand the basics of live-in care: a professional care worker will move into your home to provide support. But how do you work out the details?
Let’s look at how you can prepare for a live-in carer, how your daily routine might look, and how you can handle their breaks and time off.
Setting up your home for a live-in carer
Before you welcome a live-in carer to your home, you need to make sure that you have space for them.
A live-in carer will require:
- A private bedroom, which they can lock
- Furniture, including a comfortable bed, a chest of drawers or wardrobe, and a chair
- Access to Wi-Fi
They won’t need their own bathroom, although this is ideal if possible. However, they will need access to a clean bathroom with a toilet, basin, and bath or shower, as well as somewhere to store their toiletries and cosmetics.
If you don’t already have all of these things available, you may need to purchase more furniture, set up Wi-Fi, or install a door lock on your spare bedroom.
A live-in carer may also want their own space to store and prepare food, especially if they have specific dietary requirements.
Your daily routine with a live-in carer
Live-in care is a very personalised service, so everyone’s days will look different.
Unlike in a care home, where you’ll be following the organisation’s routine, you and your carer will follow a routine that works for you. This might involve getting up at 6am if you’re an early bird, or staying in bed until 10am if you prefer a lie-in.
Your daily routine could look something like this:
Morning: Your carer supports you to get out of bed, take your medication and have breakfast. They help you shower and dress, and then you go to sit in the garden and read for a bit while your carer takes a break.
Lunchtime: Your carer prepares lunch and you eat together. Afterwards, they handle the washing up and do some laundry for you.
Afternoon: Your carer helps you take your medication, and you watch TV together for a little while. Then they support you to go for a walk to the local café, where you meet a friend.
Evening: Your carer prepares your evening meal, and you eat together. You do a jigsaw puzzle together before they support you to get ready for bed.
Your carer’s breaks and time off
Live-in carers are entitled to regular breaks and time off. They can’t provide support constantly throughout the day and night, and they will need holidays and sick leave, as well as maternity, paternity, or parental leave if relevant.
Like all workers, a live-in carer is entitled to:
- 14 hours per week to themselves, usually broken into two-hour breaks each day, where they can leave the home and the client
- 11 hours of rest between working days
- An uninterrupted 24 hours off each week, or 48 hours each fortnight
- At least 28 days of paid annual leave each year
- Work no more than 48 hours in a week, unless they’ve voluntarily chosen to opt out of the Working Time Regulations
Before you start working with your live-in carer, you should set out a plan for their daily breaks, rest days, and extended periods of leave.
Note: If your live-in carer is self-employed, they don’t have the same rights to breaks and annual leave as employees. However, it’s important to make sure that your carer gets enough breaks and extended time off, whatever their employment status, as regular rest helps them to provide safe care for you or your loved one.
What if I need 24-hour live-in care?
Live-in carers are in your home and on-call 24 hours a day, in case of emergency. However, one live-in carer can’t provide care 24 hours a day. If you need care throughout the day and night, you’ll need to arrange for more than one care worker to be in your home.
If you use a care agency to hire a live-in care worker, they’ll be able to suggest appropriate shift patterns, and also provide additional carers for the times when your usual carer is taking a break or otherwise unavailable.
Agencies will usually be able to offer:
- Waking night shifts: If you need support throughout the night, a care agency can send one or two dedicated waking night carers to provide that help. This is ideal for people who need medication during the night, or who need regular turning or mobility support.
- Break cover: If you need regular help while your live-in carer takes their daily breaks, a care agency can send another carer to support you during those hours.
- Rota cover: When your usual carer is on holiday, sick, or otherwise unavailable, the agency should be able to provide another support worker to help you, so there’s never a break in your care.
If you hire a live-in carer privately, you’ll need to arrange backup carers yourself. Find out more about the differences between using a care agency and a private carer.
How much does live-in care cost in the UK?
Live-in care can be expensive. Costs will vary depending on your needs and location, but you’ll probably be looking at between £900 and £2,000 per week.
Factors that may affect this cost include:
- Your location: Costs will be higher in London and the South East.
- Your care needs: If you need nursing care, dementia care, or support with complex health conditions, you’ll probably pay more. You’ll also pay more if you need waking night cover, or support from additional carers while your usual care worker takes their breaks.
- The carer or agency you choose: Individual carers and care agencies can set their own rates. Contact your chosen care service to find out precise costs.
In many cases, live-in care from a professional care worker is more expensive than moving to a care home. However, if you’re looking for care for a couple, you may find that one live-in carer is cheaper than two care home placements.
You may be entitled to support with paying for care.
How do I find live-in care?
If live-in care feels right for you or your loved one, there are a few ways you can find a care service.
Talk to your social worker about arranging live-in care.
Ask friends and family for recommendations of trusted live-in care services.
Look for local home care services, and ask if they can provide a live-in carer for you. Some care providers specialise in live-in care, and others will offer it as an additional service as part of their standard home care offerings.
Use Find Your Room’s home care search, and filter by Live-in Care.