Elderly care

As we age, there are various factors that can make it harder to live independently – whether it be illness, mobility concerns or loneliness. We've covered the different types of care that can improve daily life in this guide. 

Elderly care is dedicated support that addresses the physical and mental needs of people as they age. It can include short-term assistance to recover from a specific condition, respite care to give unpaid carers a break, or long-term support. Elderly care can include a range of services tailored to the individual and their specific situation – from helping them maintain a healthy and nutritious diet, to encouraging gentle and positive movement. Elderly care can help individuals maintain a positive quality of life during their later years.

 

What is the importance of Elderly care?

The world is aging faster than ever before. According to the Centre for Aging Better, there are currently 11 million people aged 65 in England alone, and this is set to rise to 13 million in the next 10 years. 

The ageing process does not always lead to disability, although 86 percent of people over 85 are living with at least one chronic long-term health condition.

It’s projected that the number of individuals in care in the UK will double by 2035, meaning care services are gaining increased importance. The use of their services enables our loved ones to maintain independence and enjoy a longer quality of life.

Who would benefit from elderly care services?

Elderly individuals experiencing difficulty with daily activities due health difficulties, mobility issues, or loneliness may find assistance and support through elderly care services.

For example, those living with dementia, complex medical conditions like Parkinson’s Disease, or finding it difficult to keep up with personal care may see their quality of life improve with professional support. 

It should be noted that an older person may not always be aware of when they require assistance. This can be challenging for friends and family members to observe and therefore needs a sensitive approach. We have some advice for discussing sensitive topics from a professional therapist here. 

 

Questions to ask

Before speaking with your loved one about their care, it may be helpful to consider some questions.

  • Can they navigate the house safely?
  • Can they go out alone for appointments and shopping?
  • Can they cook their own meals?
  • Do they keep themselves properly nourished and hydrated?
  • Can they hear the phone and door?
  • Can they maintain a clean and safe living environment?
  • Are they able to take care of personal hygiene tasks?
  • Are they experiencing frequent lapses in their memory?
  • Do they have regular social contact with other people? i.e. do they regularly have visitors, or are they able to go out without assistance?

 

If your answers to most of those questions were ‘no.’ then your loved one may benefit from some form of elderly care service. 

Home care

Home care for the elderly provides an alternative to traditional residential care options. Rather than moving into a dedicated facility, people can receive care in their own homes – retaining as much independence as possible. 

Care for the elderly in their own homes is available in many forms – it’s not just traditional visiting care, and can be tailored to individual needs and offered around-the-clock. 

 
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Domiciliary care

Domiciliary care is another term for home care. it comes from the latin. “Domus”, meaning “home.” It’s often provided for seniors who may need a little extra support in the form of regular home visits, but don’t yet require full-time care, or those who do need full-time support but don’t wish to leave their home for a care home. Domiciliary carers can help with a range of tasks around the home such as cleaning, cooking, washing and staying active. 

There are a range of fully managed domiciliary care agencies who can provide this type of care in the home. Alternatively you can privately arrange home care.

The first step in either process, would be to have a care needs assessment done in order to assess the level of support a person needs, and whether they’re eligible for any financial support toward it.

Live-in care 

Live-in  involves a professional carer moving into the home of the person they’re caring for. They’ll remain with them round the clock, helping them to stay in their own home, living as independently as possible, for as long as possible. 

Live-in carers do everything that visiting domiciliary carers do – providing personal care services, housekeeping, cooking and even pet care. 

For those living with more complex needs, or a long-term chronic condition, live-in care may be able to prevent the upheaval of moving, as carers often specialise in or have experience supporting a range of conditions, and can even be arranged as part of a palliative care plan.

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Respite care for the elderly 

Wether you have an informal care arrangement with family or friends, or rely on paid carers, it’s important to factor in respite care. It’s beneficial for both the carer and the person they’re caring for.

Respite care allows primary carers to take a break whilst ensuring the same level of care and support is provided in the home – minimising disruption to a person’s routine and way of life.

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Find out more about Elder’s home care services 

Residential care 

Typically, residential care has been the go-to care option for many. There are a few different ways you can receive care outside of your current home, again the most suitable type will depend on how much support you need. 

Care homes for the elderly 

Residential care homes for the elderly are designed for those who require care but not nursing care i.e things like Artificial/PEG feeding or regular injections. It involves moving into a residential home with other people, to receive support, and benefit from other things such as planned activities and trips, freshly prepared meals and housekeeping services.

Nursing homes 

Nursing homes provide care for those with more acute needs. They are staffed with registered nurses and care support workers. For those with complex care needs, sometimes nursing homes are the only option – however, specialist care at home can be organised for some complex and life-limiting health conditions. This will usually involve a wider support team that would likely include a community nurse, and a live-in care worker.

It’s a common misconception that residential and nursing homes are the same – and while sometimes they may be located in the same facility – they’re not the same. Nursing homes are specifically tailored to those with advanced care needs – such as those with life limiting conditions. Nursing care can usually provide things like intensive rehabilitation, stoma care, pain therapies and cancer care.  

Elderly assisted living 

Assisted living is similar to residential care but with more independence. Generally it’s not appropriate for those who require full-time care – but could be considered a good option for someone with some mobility issues, requiring a little extra support. 

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Next steps 

Arranging care yourself can seem like a daunting process, however we can help you understand the process and get started. 

Here are some of the first steps many Elder customers choose to take:  

  1. Undergo a care needs assessment 
  2. Find out what funding is available to you 
  3. Consider the type of care best fits your needs and wishes. Completing our no-obligation care appraisal may help you get a better picture of everything you need. 

Care with Elder

At Elder, we use a matching service to ensure your matched with a carer who understands your needs and complements your personality. They’re able to perform all kinds of elderly care tasks – including medication prompting, and keeping up with social activities.

More choice

Choose your carer from our 5000+ community, and manage care easily with your MyElder account. 

More control

Whether you need care in 24 hours, or are planning ahead, we can help you take control.

More support

Our support specialists and clinical team are here to listen, guide, and empower 7 days a week.

More value

No surcharges, no hidden costs, and no joining fees– just truly personalised care.

Get started with Elder

Why not discuss your needs with an Elder care advisor?

Click the button below to book your no-obligation call. We’re here for you seven days a week. 

Book now

Read more about elderly care

FAQs

Ours do. Whether it’s first thing in the morning or late at night, there’s always help on hand with a live-inself-employed carer.

Assistance at bedtime can prove key in giving your loved one a better night’s sleep, which can have a positive and lasting effect on wellbeing. And if your relative needs to get up in the middle of the night, live-inself-employed carers are perfectly placed to help them do it safely.

Learn more about elderly night-time care on our ‘Overnight care: how to help ageing parents’ page.

Live-in care is a form of elderly support in which aself-employed carer provides assistance in the care recipient’s own home.

This might just be during home visits scheduled throughout the week. Or it might involve a professionalself-employed carer moving in to offer 24-hour support, as it is with Elder. Your choice will depend on the extent of your loved one’s needs.

To find out more, we’ve put together some of the myths and misconceptions about home care for you to explore.

While visiting homeself-employed carers may not have time to prepare meals, this is one of the most important responsibilities of a live-inself-employed carer.

They’ll find out the sorts of things your loved one likes to eat, and get them involved in the prep if that’s something they’d like to do. But whipping up meals is just one part of a live-inself-employed carer’s role: they’ll also keep an eye on nutritional content to make sure your relative stays fit and healthy.

You can find out more about a live-inself-employed carer mealtime responsibilities on our ‘Nutrition: caring for elderly parents’ page.

If your loved one is staying in their own home, you may want to make some changes to the way it’s laid out.

This may include moving furniture around or reducing what’s there altogether, and installing ramps, rails and stairlifts. You might also want to add security features, such as automatic cut-offs for cookers.

We’ve gone into all of these in more depth on our ‘Making homes safer for older people’ page.

There are some key differences between live-in care and residential care, and which you choose ultimately comes down to your personal circumstances.

The obvious one is that residential homes require your loved one to move out of their own home. This means they may not get to eat when they want to, or get out and about when it suits them. This isn’t the case with home care, which tends to be much more adaptive to their needs.

The other major difference is the cost and the provisions in place to support payment. This is a complicated subject, and we’ve broken it down for you on our ‘Home care or nursing home: what’s the difference?’ page.