Home care - a complete guide

If you're looking for later life care, home care may be your preferred option. After spending years making a house a home, it's unsurprising that many older people want to stay put when they start to need care, but how does this work in practice? Discover everything you need to know before starting your home care journey.

Find a home carer

What is home care?

Home care, sometimes also called domiciliary care is when a care professional comes to your home to provide personal care and support with everyday tasks. The purpose of home care is to help an older or vulnerable person continue to live an independent life in the familiar surroundings of their own home.

Care at home is a popular choice due to it’s flexibility which makes it suitable for a wide range of needs and situations. Some people may only require a few hours of care a week to help them remember to take medication, prepare meals safely, or to keep them from becoming lonely. Others may have a carer move in with them to provide 24-hour care and help with household tasks like shopping, cleaning and diary management.

It's estimated that nearly 1 million people receive some form of home care across the UK.

What are some common types of care that take place at home?

Visiting care

Sometimes called hourly care, this is where a carer will visit you at home at pre-agreed times. Depending on the care company you choose and the level of care you need, visits can last from between 30 minutes to a few hours at a time, and you may have a carer visit you once a day, multiple times a day, or a couple of times a week. 

Visiting carers offer one-to-one support with daily living tasks and light personal care, such as getting washed and dressed in the morning. Find out what you can expect during a home care visit here.

How does visiting care work with Elder? 

Home

Live-in care

A live-in carer moves into a spare room in your home to provide full-time one-to-one care and support every-day life. They’ll usually work up to 10 hours a day, sleeping at the property when you do, but will also be available occasionally during the night, for example if there’s an emergency.

Because they become such a big part of daily life a live in carer will take time to learn about you and your routine, and work with you to keep things how you like them as much as possible, to protect your quality of life.

How does live-in care work with Elder?

Respite care

This is a short-term period of home care. If you’re already being cared for by a professional carer, family member or friend, you may arrange respite care to cover their holidays or to fill in if they become ill. It can also be helpful following an illness or discharge from hospital, when you may need additional support while you recover.

Respite care can be in the form of care visits, or live-in care.

How does respite care work with Elder? 

Overnight care

Overnight care can happen in a couple of ways. You may have a waking-night carer visit you at home for up to 12 hours, who’ll stay awake throughout the night to provide care. Alternatively a sleeping night carer will sleep at your home but be on hand at all times when required.

Some people also choose to have two carers working in shifts to provide round-the-clock care at home.

How does overnight care work with Elder? 

Palliative care and end of life care

While many may think of hospice services when it comes to palliative or end of life care, if you’re living with a terminal illness you may be able to be cared for in the comfort of your own home instead. 

This may involve a live-in carer moving in with you, or visits throughout the day from a compassionate carer. They can help with daily tasks, offer support and comfort to family members and help you retain a sense of normality and positive quality of life.

A home carer will usually form part of a palliative care team – working alongside healthcare professionals such as a community nurse to help manage complex health conditions and implement a personalised care plan.

Home care or the care home, which is best?

The care industry can be overwhelming, and this is a hugely personal decision that depends on a lot of different factors. However, first and foremost, the level of care you need may discount one option from the other.

If you are still fairly independent and it’s safe for you to be living at home, then home care may be the most appealing option. It means aside from having a new person coming into the home to help out, very little else has to change.

Depending on the care provider you choose, you should be able to maintain the same weekly routine – getting up at a time that suits you, eating what and when you want, and seeing friends and family as often as you like. While you may need to make some slight adaptations to your home to make it more accessible, it’s a care type that provides the littlest upheaval to your daily life.

Being cared for in your own home also means you don’t have to live with lots of other people, which may be overwhelming if you’re more introverted, or like your own space.

However in some situations a care home (otherwise known as residential care) may be the best place to be, as more complex care needs can be difficult to manage at home.

For example if a person has later stage dementia and experiences unpredictable or aggressive behaviour it can become unsafe for them to stay in their own home. It can also put a home carer at risk, especially if they’re providing one-to-one care alone. A care home is designed to minimise risk by ensuring residents are protected from things that could cause harm such as kitchen appliances, trip hazards and loose medications. There’s also a staff of professionals on-site 24/7 to help with challenging behaviours and prevent wandering.

Some may also favour care homes for the peace of mind it gives families, and the social aspect. Many homes offer a weekly schedule of activities and outings, and the opportunity for residents to eat together in a shared dining room.

However, this all can come with less flexibility – it’s often not possible for residents to set their own day to day routine, and finding a home that marries up with your needs and wishes may mean moving out of your local area.

What can a home carer do?

As we’ve covered, different types of home care offer different levels of support. While every home care package won’t include all the tasks listed below, this should still give you an idea of what you can access via a home care service.

Daily living

Personal care

Nursing care at home

Home care broadly encompasses non-medical care. For example, The carers on Elder’s platform support with the personal care, companionship, and daily living support tasks listed above, but cannot perform medical tasks.

Some care agencies are regulated to provide nurse-led care, such as PEG feeding and STOMA care, but these tasks must be directed and overseen by qualified nurses. However, some people still need a district nurse to visit and perform certain tasks that their agency carer can’t do.

If you have complex nursing needs always be really clear when communicating these to a potential home carers or care providers, to understand the scope of their services and ensure they’re the right fit for you.

How can home care help me?

If you're becoming increasingly worried about a loved one

If you’ve noticed that your loved one is beginning to find certain things difficult at home,  for example, they’re struggling to keep up with housework, have experienced an increase in trips or bumps, or don’t seem to be eating properly it can be a huge worry, especially if you don’t live nearby. Arranging elderly care at home can provide peace of mind by ensuring someone is available to support with tricky tasks, and that the home environment is as safe as possible.

If your loved one lives alone, regular or full-time home care can mean there is someone available to talk to and enjoy life with. According to AgeUK 1.4 million elderly people in the UK often feel lonely, which if left unresolved, can have a serious impact on mental health. Signs a person may be feeling chronically lonely include a change in appetite, sleep patterns, and spending habits.

What are the signs of loneliness?

It’s not always easy to tell when an older person is struggling – there can be a stigma around loneliness, and they may feel too proud to ask for help. Our Director of Clinical and Operations – Alexis Cable has shared how to spot when something’s not right here. 

If you're finding things difficult at home

It’s completely normal to feel uneasy about the prospect of care. If you’re looking into care from a care provider, you may be worried about allowing a stranger into your life so intimately, or wonder what’ll happen if you don’t get on, or if they try and impose changes you’re not happy with.

Accepting help doesn’t have to mean losing your independence, or compromising on how you spend your days. Billons of people across thee world employ some type of help with day to day tasks – from cleaners and gardeners, to dog walkers and meal delivery services.

Arranging care can help make more time for the things you enjoy, while the things you find difficult or time consuming are taken care of. And, some companies including Elder will help you choose your own carer, so you find someone who shares your interests and you can feel more comfortable with.

Elder Housekeeping services

Colin and Dulcie's home care story

Dulcie is 100-years-old and lives with her son Colin, his wife Mary, and her carer Sarah. She has dementia and has full-time live-in care. 

We talk to the family about the challenges of finding the right care solution for a fiercely independent woman – and how the positive benefits of live-in care with Sarah has transformed all of their lives.

Choosing between a private carer or agency service

If you’ve decided a care at home service is the right fit, the next stage is to decide how you’d like to arrange it. This many include private home care – where you source a self-employed carer through an advert, using care agencies, or using an introductory services.

Hiring a private home carer can give you lots of choice, flexibility, and time to find a carer on the same wavelength. It also means you can avoid agency fees. However, trust is a huge factor here, as is the responsibility you’ll need to take on. You’ll usually need to do your own background checks, register as their employer, create a work contract, and set up their payments. Read more about hiring a private carer.

Get home care sorted with Elder

Elder is an award-winning care marketplace connecting families to self-employed carers, and providing 5-star support and simple online tools to help them build and manage a positive on-going relationship. We've helped 5,000+ families and enabled over 13 million hours of care.
Find your carer

Get home care sorted with Elder

Elder is an award-winning care marketplace connecting families to self-employed carers, and providing 5-star support and simple online tools to help them build and manage a positive on-going relationship. We've helped 5,000+ families and enabled over 13 million hours of care.
Find your carer

On the other end of the scale is a managed care agency. they’ll have a dedicated care team to help with everything – from interviewing and hiring carers to creating and delivering a care plan. And because they employ their own care staff and provide standardised training, there’s no responsibilities for you on that front either.

However, this all comes at a premium – fees can be high, and due to having a regulated way of working there may be less room for flexibility and you’ll have less say in how you’re cared for. And, if you’re arranging visiting care, it may not be possible to be visited by the same staff member each time, resulting in less continuity of care.

An introductory service can be a good middle ground. They’ll pre-screen self-employed carers and help you connect with the most suitable for your situation. They’ll also have a system in place to handle payments, can help you find respite cover should you need it, and, because carers are self-employed there’s no need for you to take on employment responsibilities.

However, unlike with a managed care agency, with introductory agencies the care arrangements will sit directly with you and your carer. This means you retain complete control over your daily routine, and always get to choose how you’re cared for.

 

The cost of care at home

Is in-home care free in the UK?

Unfortunately for most it’s not. However, you live in England and have savings and assets that amount to less than £23,250, your local council will likely contribute towards your care fees. In Wales, you’ll need less than £50,000, and in Scotland you’ll need less than £32,750.

It’s worth noting that even if you are eligible for funding, if the average rate of your chosen care provider is more than what the council deem you’re entitled to, you’ll need to make up the short-fall.

How much is home care per hour?

The price you pay for elderly home care will depend on the level of care you need, the type of care service provider you choose, and where you are in the UK.

On average, visiting care in the UK has an hourly rate of £16 to 26+. Some agencies may have a set minimum rate of one hour – meaning you’ll need to book a full hour even if you don’t use it all.

Live-in care can be £1000+ a week, with many paying upwards of £1500 for a managed agency service. Elder’s home care services are on average 35% cheaper than traditional managed providers. And, in many regions of the UK home care fees can be comparable to care home fees.
There are a number of funding options or payment schemes to help cover some or all of the cost of home care too.

1. Speak to your local council’s benefits office

You or your loved one may be eligible for monthly payments in the form of Pension Credits, Attendance Allowance, or Cold Weather Payments – A benefit for people who may struggle with rising energy costs. You may also be entitled to a reduced rate for council tax. While this won’t cover your care in full, these benefits can quickly add up and make a difference.

2. Arrange a social care assessment

If your local council’s social services department decides you have a qualifying need, they may offer full or partial care funding. To work this out, they’ll first assess your health and care needs, before performing a financial assessment to understand how much you can realistically afford to pay towards your care. If they conclude that you need care, but don’t have the means to pay for this yourself, they’ll offer you funding. If you’d like to choose your own care provider, rather than having the council find one for you, be sure to request your funding is paid to you as a direct payment.

3. Contact your local NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Team

This is a form of funding available to those with complex, on-going health conditions. The eligibility criteria for NHS funding is a lot stricter, and if you are eligible for it your care needs may not be best suited to a lot of home care options. However if you’re successful your care costs will be covered in full. To apply, you’ll need to ask your GP, district nurse, or discharge team (if you’re in hospital) to put you in touch with your local NHS CHC team.

We’ve shared the latest breakdown on funding options, and links to helpful resources on our Funding your care page.

With Elder, you're never on your own.

Our care advisors are on hand seven days a week to answer your every question. Whether you’re ready for care or are just looking to learn more, they’re happy to help. 

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FAQs

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 in our guide to home adaptations. 

This will depend on the agency you choose. At Elder we recommend all self-employed carers using our platform take out the relevant insurance. We’ve partnered with a third-party insurance company – Fish Insurance to make this process easier for self-employed carers. You can read more in our guide to home care and self-employed carer insurance.

On average you could pay anywhere between £16-£25 per hour for home care in the UK. However, this rate will likely be higher if you have complex needs or choose a high cost provider, or are based in London or the South of England.

Elder is an online marketplace connecting families needing care to self-employed carers.

We use technology to match you to the most suitable carers and allow you to choose the carer you feel best fits your needs.

We also give you the simple online tools you need to manage care. And, unlike with a care agency, your care agreement will be between you and your self-employed carer. This gives you complete control over the care experiences, ensuring your loved one is cared for in a way they’re comfortable with – protecting independence, dignity, and routine.

We understand that families put a lot of trust in the self-employed carers on our platform, so to join our platform carers must pass the following suitability screening –

  • Have previous experience providing care either in people’s homes, or in a care home or specialist facility. We don’t accept personal care experience alone.
  • Have a good understanding of the English language (written and spoken)
  • Have a valid form of photo I.D – Have the Right to Work in the UK
  • Have the ability to pass an enhanced DBS check (England and Wales only)
  • Be able to provide at least 2 verifiable professional references
  • Complete situational judgement and character screening

Simply create your MyElder account by clicking this link. Creating an account is free, and there’s no obligation to move forward with Elder once you’ve created it.

You’ll then be asked to answer some qualifying questions. These have been developed by our in-house clinical team to automatically screen whether Elder’s services are appropriate for your needs. If your answers indicate that the level of care needed falls outside the scope of what a self-employed carer on our platform can provide, you’ll be notified and have the chance to speak to one of our team for guidance on what to do next.

At Elder we help families and self-employed carers do three critical things safely: (1) find each other, (2) match with each other and (3) manage their ongoing relationship directly. We enable this through the development of technology and processes that families and carers use.

While we pride ourselves in delivering a safe, responsive and well-led service, the agreement for care is between the customer and the self-employed carer – therefore Elder is not required to be registered with or assessed against the regulatory standards of the Care Quality Commission or the Care Inspectorate.

However, everything we do at Elder is underpinned by respect, transparency, safety, and integrity. You can read our full safety and trust policy, code of practice, and standards of care here.

Read more about home care