What is Live In Care? Stay Independent and Safe at Home
Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
Live-in care is a popular type of home care. Here, a carer will live in your home and provide round-the-clock support. This particular type of home care may be best suited for older adults who require regular supervision.
There are lots of benefits to live-in care, particularly for people who would prefer to receive care within the comfort of their own homes.
In this article, we’ve explained what live-in care is, the benefits, how to find a live-in carer and what you’ll need to provide for them.
Arrange care at home
Browse the best live-in care near you.
In this article:
- Find live-in care near you
- What is live-in care?
- The difference between domiciliary care and live-in care
- What do live-in carers do?
- What to expect when receiving live-in care
- What does a live-in carer need?
- How much does it cost?
- Benefits
Find Live-In Care Near You Through Lottie
You can use Lottie to find home care near you. You can request a free home care shortlist through our service, and we’ll send you the best home care providers in your local area, all of which have carer availability.
Each of our home care listings includes the types of care offered, such as live-in care.
Nationwide live-in care agencies
To ease your search, here are live-in care who provide care across the UK:
- Helping Hands
- Dove Home Care
- Edyn Care
- Ellea Nursing
- ENA Care Group - England and Wales
- Greenstaff Homecare - England
- Hamilton George Care
- Noble Live-In Care
- Promedica24
- The Good Care Group in England
- The Good Care Group in Scotland
- Trinity Homecare
- Yucca Healthcare
We’re partnered with the best live-in care agencies across the UK, including in the following locations:
- South West England
- South East England
- London
- East of England
- West Midlands
- East Midlands
- Yorkshire and the Humber
- North West England
- North East England
- Scotland
You can also use the following websites and services to find a local live-in care agency near you:
- Search the NHS website for local homecare services and agencies. The NHS also has a list of national homecare organisations
- Ask your local council’s social services department for any information they have on homecare agencies nearby (they may also have a directory of homecare agencies on their website)
- Contact the Care Quality Commission (CQC). All homecare agencies must register with the CQC. You can also find the latest inspection reports for agencies through the CQC
- Ask the United Kingdom Homecare Association for a list of approved homecare agencies in your or your loved one’s local area
The Benefits of Live-in Care
- You’re able to remain in familiar and comfortable surroundings
- Your family and friends will be given peace of mind that you’re being properly looked after by an experienced live-in carer
- You’ll be able to maintain your independence and have a more structured daily routine
- You’ll have access to dignified and respectful personal care
- Specialist conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s can also be treated through live-in care
- Always having someone to talk to will work wonders for your mental health and emotional wellbeing. A care plan and care package will map out your preferences, including hobbies. A carer can make sure these hobbies are maintained and that you stay connected to other family members and friends
What is Live In Care?
Live-in care is where a fully trained carer lives in the home of you or your loved one, meaning around-the-clock care is provided. People choose live-in care when regular home care visits are no longer enough.
Live-in care is often carried out by a handful of compassionate carers. You may have a main carer who looks after you during the day and additional carers who cover when your main carer is asleep or unavailable.
A live-in carer’s main focus is to support any specific needs, keep you comfortable and promote independence in care.
Live-in care allows couples with differing care needs to remain together. Many live-in care agencies offer a trial period to ensure you or your loved one are happy with your chosen carer.
The Difference Between Domiciliary Care and Live-In Care
Both live-in care and domiciliary care take place within the home. The tasks carers help with are often similar, including things like getting in and out of bed, washing and getting dressed.
Live-in care involves care workers being with you or your loved one 24/7 while the length and frequency of domiciliary care depends on your loved one’s needs and requirements.
Visits are often one or two hours and can occur every day or just once or twice a week.
What Do Live-In Carers Do?
There’s a variety of tasks live-in carers can help with - both inside and outside of the home. Here are some examples:
- Personal care, including support with things like washing, dressing, using the toilet and continence
- Emotional support and companionship care
- Household chores such as cleaning, doing laundry and gardening
- Medication management
- Providing transport to and from appointments and anywhere else you need to go
- Food preparation and making meals
- Mobility support
- If live-in care is provided by a registered nurse then specialist care such as PEG feeding, stoma care and wound dressing can also be given
What To Expect When Receiving Live-In Care
The process of receiving live-in care usually begins with an assessment of your loved one’s needs, either by a medical professional, somebody from the local authority or the care agency.
After this assessment, your loved one will then be matched with a suitable caregiver, based on their unique care needs. A care plan detailing your loved one’s needs, routines and preferences will be created.
Before moving in, the caregiver will visit your loved one’s home for an introduction and to familiarise themselves with the home and any specialist equipment they may need to use.
Once everything has been agreed upon, the caregiver will move into your loved one’s home to provide care and support as required. This may be periodically reviewed, as care needs can change over time.
What Does a Live-In Carer Need?
The main thing a live-in carer needs is their own room. This room should be spacious enough for the carer to live comfortably. It should also have a strong Wi-Fi connection.
Although a live-in carer won’t need their own bathroom, they will require the use of bathroom facilities. There should also be enough space within the bathroom to store any toiletries.
Similarly, the carer should have access to a functional kitchen. This is where they’ll make your loved one some delicious and nutritious meals!
These requirements will vary from care provider to care provider.
How Much Does Live-In Care Cost?
We’re partnered with some of the UK’s largest home care providers, many of which offer live-in care.
Our internal data based on these providers shows that the average cost of live-in care in the UK is around £228 a day. So, if your loved one receives live-in care seven days a week throughout the year, this would cost around £1,596 a week.
| How much does live-in care cost? | |
|---|---|
| Per day | £228 |
| Per week | £1,596 |
| Per month | £6,916 |
| Per year | £82,992 |
This cost will vary from region to region, with care in the North of England often costing less than in the South East or South West.
The required level of care and support largely determines the cost of live-in care. Often, live-in care is more cost-effective for couples, allowing them to remain in their home surrounded by loved ones.
Learn About Other Types of Home Care
We’re here to help you and your family choose the right type of home care, whether this is live-in care or something else. Learn more about the different types of home care offered by the agencies we’re partnered with:
- Domiciliary care (hourly care)
- Overnight care
- Respite (short-term) home care
- Dementia home care
- Nursing home care
- Palliative home care
- End-of-life care at home
Lottie matches care seekers with the best home carers for their care needs. You can request a free home care shortlist, where we’ll find you home care providers with availability in your local area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between live-in care and hourly care?
The main difference between live-in care and hourly care is how much time a carer will spend with you or your loved one.
Similarly to domiciliary care, hourly care involves a carer visiting your home and helping out where required - both with household chores and personal care. The length and frequency of visits depends on individual care needs. Your loved one may need multiple visits each day, or just a couple of short visits per week.
On the other hand, live-in care involves a carer living with you or your loved one, meaning care can be provided around the clock.
How many hours does a live-in carer do?
How many hours a live-in carer works each week depends on the care provider and how much support you or your loved one needs.
For example, ENA Care Group says that all their live-in carers work eight hours daily throughout the week. This may vary slightly from day to day - so less on some days and more on others.
Do live-in carers do cleaning?
Live-in carers can help with many different tasks, including cleaning jobs like washing up, vacuuming, dusting and loading or unloading the dishwasher (or cleaning dirty kitchenware by hand).
Do live-in carers stay overnight?
Live-in care means that your carer will stay overnight, so care and support are always on hand if needed.
