Is being an hourly carer right for me?

Elder’s hourly care helps older people live as independently as possible at home. Find out how it works here.

What is hourly care?

Hourly care, also called domiciliary care, is care that takes place in a client’s own home. The carer visits their client at an agreed time to provide support and prompting with a range of day-to-day tasks, from getting washed and dressed, to preparing meals. 

Hourly care is a flexible way to make a difference to vulnerable people. Depending on each client’s needs, visits can range from the odd hour here and there, to daily visits that last a few hours.

What type of tasks will you be doing?

Care recipients are likely to still be fairly independent, but will need a little support or prompting with certain things during the day. While your responsibilities will vary depending on individual needs, they may include tasks such as:

• Bathing and showering
• Oral care
• Getting dressed
• Shaving and hair care
• Continence
• Nail care
• Non-controlled medication prompting
• Mobility
• Companionship
• Welfare checks
• Cooking and meal preparation
• Light housework
• Food shopping and errands
• Light gardening
• Pet care
• Admin support
• Providing peace of mind to families.

As a self-employed hourly carer you won't be expected to:

• Administer medication
• Change a catheter or help with a stoma
• Assist with PEG feeding
• Deep clean the home
• Handle or withdraw money for the person you’re caring for.

How does hourly care with Elder work?

With hourly care placements, you’ll visit clients in their own homes to provide one-to-one, personalised support.

Depending on the needs of the care recipient, these visits can vary in length, however you’ll always return to your own home at the end of the day – these are not live-in placements.

And by working as a self-employed carer on the Elder platform, you’ll be free to choose your own placements by applying for them easily via the Elder Hub app. You can work with multiple clients at once – meaning it’s easy to build a schedule that fits around your friends, family and life.

• Build your own flexible weekly schedule, caring for as many people as you’d like
• Earn up to £20 an hour
• Get double pay on bank holidays.

If being an hourly carer sounds good to you, start your application and get access to current vacancies.

Apply now