An award-winning alternative to care homes

Start your journey to personalised care with a trusted self-employed carer

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Picture of a family
Picture of a family

Trusted by

5000+ families
Carer arriving at family home
  • More Value

    On average, services facilitated by Elder are 35% cheaper than traditional alternatives.

  • More control

    Whenever and however you need it, you set the scope of your service.

  • More choice

    Pick your favourite self-employed carer from personalised matches.

  • More support

    Use our platform to plan and manage care from anywhere, and chat to 5* rated support teams.

What is visiting care?

Not sure visiting care is right for you? Call us and our friendly care advisors will walk you through your options.

  • Carer helping a care recipient do up his tie

    A care assistant visits your home to help with daily tasks

  • Elderly couple sat together

    You choose the duration and frequency of visits

  • Carer and care recipient sharing a cup of tea outside

    You pick the tasks you need support with

  • Care recipient and carer walking together outside

    You choose the carer. If they are unavailable, we help you find a new one

An illustration of a car driving to a house

To connect and search for carers, we just need a bit more info...

Once you have an Elder account, you'll be able to connect and chat to carers that match your needs.

Time to complete:

2 minutes

Check availability in your areaWhat time of day is care required?
Select all that apply

How does it work?

Search for carers in 3 easy steps

Share your care request

Tell us your care requirements using our request form, including the type of care you’re looking for, any specialist skills you need, and what daily life looks like.

Select your carer

You’ll start receiving profiles of suitable self-employed carers within 24 hours. Chat to them online or arrange a phone or video call, before choosing who you like best.

Manage care

Once your agreement with your carer begins, use your MyElder account to chat with them and the Elder team, manage your schedule and care information, and find respite cover if you need it.

An example of the Elder log-in screen and product portal

We have been very impressed with Elder. They have been really good at finding carers. All the carers have been very very good, kind, organised and helpful. The liaison with Elder has been excellent right from our initial contact.

Margo, Elder Customer

You get to pick and talk to the carer beforehand, so you have someone who is a right fit. The carer gets to ask questions, and you can build a trusted relationship before they even begin care.

Sarah, - Elder customer

The carers have real affection for my parents. They also laugh and joke a lot, which is great especially with my dad…he hasn’t lost his spark even though he is older, and still loves a joke!

Jan, Elder customer

It has made my own life a lot easier, as I know Jennifer our carer will just sort things out. It’s a nice balance between being consulted about the important decisions, but not having to do it all yourself.

Jill, Elder Customer

Carer arriving at someones home

Find your ideal carer

We have connected over 5000 families to carers so far.

What our customers have to say

Elder is there to support you when you need it most.

“Patience is a breath of fresh air! She is lively, cheerful and fun and brings joy to my in-laws' home. Nothing is too much trouble. She makes my mother-in-law feel like a princess.”

Louise Elder Customer

“David has been 400% better than I could ever have imagined. I have seen many carers over the years but David is in a break away Premier league. He is attentive, thoughtful, constantly looking to improve the situation.”

David Elder Customer

“[Our carer] never underestimated mum's sharp intellect and desire to hold on to her independence. She and mum chatted about songs mum had always enjoyed, and she helped to create a special playlist for her."

Jane Elder Customer

“My mother has dementia and Maria quickly gained her trust...Maria cooks her delicious meals from scratch and keeps my mother busy with new card games. I have never seen my mother so happy.”

Alice Elder Customer

“She was a very friendly capable caring lady. My husband thought the world of her and has asked me if he can have her care for him the next time I am away which means a lot to me.”

Elizabeth Elder Customer

"Marko has taken the trouble to understand Ken's complicated needs, has become a good friend for Ken and is restoring some fun to Ken's life. For that we cannot thank him enough."

Alan Elder Customer

“Josephine has gone above and beyond. Every Wednesday she cooks a big meal and sets the table for Alison, her son Donald and his wife Annette, which is the highlight of the week and something they all really look forward to.”

Kyla Elder Customer

“Katie has made life easier and better for my gran from the moment she arrived. She has fitted in so well with our wee family and makes my gran feel special.”

Angela Elder Customer

FAQs

Still have questions?

0333 920 3648

Every carer must pass our interview process and provide:

– At least 2 verifiable references

– Examples of at least 6 months’ experience

– An enhanced DBS certificate

As an introductory provider, we are unable to provide bespoke training. However, through our carer loyalty programme, carers who actively find work through our platform have access to a third-party online learning platform, where they can enhance their skills.

We match based on the skills and experience you tell us you need, for example, if your loved one has dementia, we’ll only match you to self-employed carers with experience of looking after someone with the condition. We consistently reevaluate which carers we work with based on feedback from families.

We’ll always send you an introductory video of each carer you’re matched with – where they’ll tell you about their background, what they enjoy about being a carer, and their hobbies and interests.

Once you’ve chosen your carer, we’re happy to set up a virtual meeting too, such as a Zoom call so that you can get to know them better before they arrive.

We have a large nationwide network of 6000+ independent care professionals, and have connected families to carers in 123 of 124 postcode areas in Great Britain. This means we can usually get care in place within 24 to 48 hours if your needs are urgent.

Yes if the medications are non-controlled. However carers can prompt and remind, but aren’t allowed to administer controlled drugs and injections. If this is a hard requirement, it might make financial sense for you to have a nurse visit in addition to the main carer, rather than hiring a clinically-trained carer.

Yes. Every carer we work with must have a good level of written and spoken English.

If you’d prefer a carer who also speaks a second language, simply let us know.

No. We do our best to keep the number of carers that visit you to a minimum as we recognise the importance of routine and consistency to the elderly. Plus it allows them to do a better job, and they take pride in that.

Yes, many of our customers use funding from their local authority to cover all or part of their care costs. Often customers choose to receive their funding as a direct payment, so that they’re free to choose their own the carer provider, rather than the council picking one for them.

If you’ve not started the process of applying for local authority funding, we have mapped out the full process here.

If you or a loved one is living with an on-going health condition, it’s worth applying for NHS Continuing Healthcare too. If you meet the criteria, this form of funding will cover every penny of your care costs. However, bear in mind that this funding is reserved for complex conditions which may fall out of the scope of what a self-employed carer can provide. 

No, you can book as little as 1 hour. However if you require a large number of hours, we offer live-in care which might suit you better. Our care advisors can explain it all, just give us a call if you’re unsure.

Elder is an introductory agency so we’re not CQC regulated. We’re here to help match and introduce you to a self-employed care professional, and help the ongoing relationship run smoothly. You can learn more about our status here.

Not having the status allows us to keep our prices affordable, and we still go to great lengths to ensure the quality of carers – as described above, as well as in our safety and trust guide.