Live-in care or visiting care – which is right for me?

Choosing the right home care is a big decision, and it can be a difficult one too. There are a lot of home care services available and finding the right one starts with sitting down and taking an in-depth look at your needs. This means looking at what daily life is like now, and what you’d like and need to change.

Ultimately, whether you’re choosing live-in care or visiting care, the purpose of care at home is to help you or your loved one stay as independent as possible and enjoy a good quality of life. Carers can help with a wide range of everyday tasks, such as –

• Getting out of bed
• Washing and dressing
• Toileting
• Providing medication reminders
• Preparing meals
• Cleaning
• Pet care
• Getting to appointments
• Providing companionship
• Attending clubs and social events
• Running errands

In this article we’ll look at when to put care in place, the pros and cons of both live-in care and visiting care, and hear from Elder customer's who've experienced both.

Putting plans in place earlier

With an increasing demand, it can really help to put care in place before the need for it becomes unavoidable. Reaching a crisis point and being unable to find they type and quality of care and support that you want can make a challenging situation even harder.

There are other benefits of putting care in place early too.

Protects independence

Getting care services established early allows older adults to remain living independently in their own homes and communities for longer. It can help cement the things, people and activities they value into their routine from day one – and protect them as care needs evolve.

Prevents avoidable hospital admissions

Older people are often at a greater risk of things like falls, bone breaks, infection or respiratory illness – which could lead to a period in hospital. What’s more it can take them far longer to recover than younger people, with the average hospital stay for an older person is around 9-11 days, but can extend into weeks. Having home support in place can help prevent accidents, or illnesses from progressing to the point of hospitalisation. In fact, it’s estimated that 15-20% of NHS emergency admissions could potentially be avoidable through earlier intervention or home care.

Provides support to family caregivers

Professional carers can assist with or take on all care duties, which can ease pressure on a person’s family and prevent them burning out. It can also remove any awkwardness around certain aspects of care. For example many people find helping a loved one to wash or use the toilet uncomfortable – especially if their loved one is their parent.

What is visiting care?

Visiting care involves a professional carer coming to your or your loved ones home at agreed times either daily, or throughout the week. Care workers can help people with things they find physically difficult, things they may struggle to remember to do, or things they’re worried about doing on their own. This can include personal care tasks, such as getting washed and dressed, as well as domestic tasks like meal preparation and laundry.

The length of time a visit lasts will depend on how much help you need, but most commonly, each visit lasts between 30 minutes and a couple of hours. Some people arrange a few visits a day, such as one in the morning and one in the evening to help with morning and bedtime routines.

Visiting care is usually suited to those who are fairly able, and can safely spend time at home on their own.

For more information on what to expect during a home care visit, read our visiting care page.

Pros of visiting care services

• Affordable alternative if you need less day to day support
• Helps people maintain their independence in their own home
• Regular visits can be arranged to fit in around your existing daily routine
• It can be a good option for respite care as you adjust to life after a brief stay in hospital
• Frees up time for family members

Cons of visiting care services

• Spending periods of time at home alone may be isolating for those who've lost a spouse, or aren't able to get out about as much as they used to.
• Carers may be delayed by traffic, train cancellations, or if another client visit takes longer than expected
• You may not be supported by the same carer every time, meaning a less personalised care experience
• Support isn't around the clock, meaning it may not be suitable to those who are prone to falls or bouts of confusion
• Not a long-term solution for progressive conditions

What is live-in care?

Live-in care involves a dedicated, full-time, carer moving into the home to support with care needs as well as domestic tasks.

It allows you or a loved one to live an independent life while ensuring you get the right level of support for your needs. If you need care or companionship more consistently throughout the day it and can be a cost-effective alternative to more traditional care options – such as moving into a care home. It also means you can avoid the emotional upheaval of moving or downsizing.

A live-in carer can provide support with a number of things – from getting to the toilet and medication prompting, to housekeeping tasks and companionship. Live-in care professionals can also help a person remain part of their community and get out and about as much as they like – free from the time constraints of a care visit. This could mean popping to the shops, visiting the hairdressers, or going to social clubs.

Live-in carers will stay with you or your loved one for a few weeks at a time, before taking a week off. During this break, a respite carer will move in and provide quality care until the main carer returns.

Pros of live-in care services

• Helps people who need a mid to high level of care remain independent in their own home
• Provides one-to-one care from a dedicated carer
• High continuity of care, you'll be supported by the same full-time carer and have a greater opportunity to build up a bond
• Highly personalised care – your carer will learn and adapt to your routine and preferred ways of doing things
• Provides occasional assistance during the night, such as if a person needs help getting to the toilet, or wakes up confused
• Frees up time and provides peace of mind to families

Cons of live-in care services

• It can take some people a while to get used to having someone living in their home
• You'll need to a spare room for the carer to sleep in. If you don't have a spare bedroom this may mean adapting a reception room.
• Care costs can be higher than scheduled care visits as you're getting round the clock care

Recognising when the time is right

Whether your loved one has been living completely independently, or has been having occasional care visits, there may come a time when you become aware that they’re not coping for long periods on their own. Some signs that a loved one may need full-time support include –

• A change in their personal hygiene or appearance
• A change in behaviour or mood
• Wearing dirty clothes, the same clothes over and over, or the wrong clothes for the weather
• Eating the same meal repeatedly, or relying on simple ready meals
• Deterring people from visiting them at home, or refusing invitations
• Refusal to take prescription medications, or difficulty managing them
• Refusing to throw things away and accumulating post, newspapers, and clutter
• Difficulty keeping on top of regular cleaning
• Keeping large amounts of expired foods or toiletries

Wendy's story

Moving from daily visits to live-in care

Mum has been disabled for a few years now. She used to have hourly care visits, but last summer she sadly fell and broke her wrist and her hip.

She was in hospital for three months in the end. It was then decided by the NHS and family that it was no longer safe for her to live alone – her mobility just wasn’t the same.

I wasn’t sure how to go about finding full-time care. I just knew Mum didn’t want to go to a care home. I searched care at home online and came across Elder. The reviews looked great and I decided to give them a call and spoke to Gus (a family advisor).

The carer is important, because it’s different if someone is just popping in a few times a day but when it’s live-in care, you take it more seriously. The main thing for me was having carers who are genuinely caring and really listen to Mum.

Elder sent over the profile and video for a carer called Violet, which reassured me that she was definitely worth meeting. When she arrived she came across as so lovely and cheerful. When Violet took a break, we found our respite carer, called Suleekha. She has been brilliant too.

Violet and Suleekha have both got to know Mum’s ways now and she has got to know them. They’re both such warm personalities and they’re always smiling and having fun with mum. They are like part of the family now and we hope we can continue to have them for a long time.