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. 

Getting the right elder care for yourself, or your loved one is important – and we know there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach to care for seniors. This is why it is important to understand the different elderly care options available to you. 

It’s also important to make sure you have the right support in place if you’re caring for elderly parents or loved ones yourself. It isn’t an easy job, and there are a variety of things that go alongside this that could help you- such as carers allowance, respite care and personal care support. 

Getting some extra help in the home doesn’t have to be full-time at first. Hourly care can make a big difference to those with fewer care needs, and at  Elder we can help with respite care, short-term care and even overnight care for those who struggle through the night.

Elderly care is not only useful for the physical concerns or challenges – but also for the social and mental side. Elderly depression is unfortunately common – but having the right support in place can help with loneliness and provide companionship in later life.

 

Home care

Home care for the elderly provides an alternative to traditional residential care options. Allowing people to receive care in their own home – 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. 

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 home but don’t yet require full-time care,  or those who 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 dressing.

 

Domiciliary care agencies

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 visiting care. The first step in either process, would be to have a care needs assessment done in order to assess the support a person needs.

Respite care for the elderly 

As part of any care plan, it’s important to consider 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 (either a professional, or a family member) 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.

Live-in care 

As your or your loved ones care needs progress, you may want to consider more full time home care options. Live-in care allows people 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. The only difference is, they live-in the home and are there 24/7.

For those living with more complex needs, or a long-term chronic condition, live-in care can prevent upheaval and a loss of independence. Live-in carers specialise in supporting a range of conditions, and can even be arranged as part of a palliative care plan.

Adult social care services 

As we’ve said, everyone’s elderly care needs and preferences differ, which is why there are a number of options when it comes to adult social care services. 

At Elder, we offer different types of care based on the needs of the individual. For example, for those with lower care needs – daily care or live-in  companionship care may be most beneficial. Finding a carer to provide support with tasks around the home, and offer company is sometimes all that is required. Take a look at the types of care we offer below. 

Residential care

Typically, residential care has been the go-to care option for many. There are different types of care out of the home, as opposed to standard residential homes. 

Care homes for the elderly 

Residential care homes for the elderly are designed for those who require care but not complex care. 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 socialisation. 

Nursing home 

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 such as dementia, or Multiple sclerosis. 

Elderly assisted living 

Assisted living is similar to residential care but with more independence. Generally it’s not appropriate for those who require more 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. 

How to get started

To get you started, these are some of the first steps you should take in arranging care: 

  1. Undergo a care needs assessment 
  2. Find out what funding is available to you 
  3. Understand your finances 
  4. Consider care funding options 

How to arrange care

The first step in arranging care is to understand the funding options available to you, and carry out a care needs assessment. From there you will have a better idea of what care best suits your circumstances.

You can arrange care in a few different ways – privately, with a fully managed agency or with an introductory agency like Elder. 

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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 4000+ 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.

Why not discuss your needs with an Expert Care Advisor?

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

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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.