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Overnight Care At Home Services | Sleeping and Waking Care

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Katy Jones

Customer Care Expert

Last Updated: 22/04/2024

Through overnight care, a dedicated carer will stay with you or your loved one throughout the night. They’ll be on hand to provide whatever care and support is required, including personal care, mobility support and any medical assistance.

Overnight care at home provides much-needed peace of mind that your loved one will be safely and properly looked after during nighttime.

In this article, we’ve covered what overnight care is and the two different types, the support available, whether your loved one needs overnight care, benefits, costs and how to find it using Lottie.

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Find Overnight Care In Your Area Through Lottie

We’re partnered with the UK’s best home care providers, with many of these offering a range of overnight care services, including overnight sleeping care and overnight waking care.

Some of the best-rated nationwide overnight care agencies in the UK that we work with include:

What Is Overnight Care?

Through overnight care, a carer stays with your loved one throughout the night. They’ll be available to provide any sudden support your loved one requires, along with routine care such as administering medication and changing their sleeping position at various intervals, often to prevent bed sores.

Overnight care can also include different types of personal care, such as help with using the toilet, continence and getting in and out of bed.

Overnight care is aimed at older adults who need round-the-clock care and support for their healthcare needs. This could be due to limited mobility, a complex medical condition or something else. Your loved one may also have dementia, causing them to wander or experience confusion at night.

Overnight care aims to give everyone a good night’s sleep, including the person who requires care and their loved ones. Having a dedicated carer ready at a moment’s notice reduces anxiety and gives peace of mind.

Types Of Overnight Care

Overnight sleeping care

A carer is available throughout the night but sleeps when they aren’t required. An overnight sleeping carer is usually only available twice during a single night. Sleeping care would become classed as waking care if needed on a third occasion.

A sleeping carer will often need a separate room with a bed and a lockable door.

Overnight sleeping care is aimed at people with slightly lower care needs, but who would still benefit from having a carer present in case of emergencies.

Overnight waking care

An overnight waking carer usually stays awake for the entire night, meaning they’ll be on hand to provide care and support at a moment’s notice.

This type of carer may need to do things like change your loved one’s sleeping position throughout the night or administer medication at specific times.

When a waking carer isn’t needed to provide care and support, they’ll often help out with domestic chores such as cleaning and doing laundry.

Overnight waking care is aimed at people with greater care needs who require regular attention and assistance at night. It's also aimed at people who are more likely to wander or are at risk of falling.

We can help you find the best overnight care for your or your loved one’s care needs. Request a free list of home care agencies, and our care experts will match you with suitable overnight carers with availability in your local area.

What Support Is Given Through Overnight Care?

A range of services are available through overnight care at home, depending on your loved one’s requirements. Below, we’ve listed some of the overnight care support your loved one can expect to receive through one of our home care partners.

Personal care:

Bathroom assistance, including using the toilet and washing
Getting dressed and undressed
Administering oral medication
Continence care
Support with drinking and eating

Mobility support:

Help with getting in and out of bed
Hoisting
Moving you from one place to another, sometimes using hoists and other specialist equipment

Specialist care services are also available through overnight care, including for people living with a type of dementia, stoma care, catheter care, palliative care and more. An overnight waking carer will also often tend to household tasks such as laundry, washing and housekeeping while your loved one sleeps.

What To Expect When Receiving Overnight Care

The exact process of receiving overnight care will vary from agency to agency, but generally, they all follow a similar process. Exactly how it’ll all work will be discussed with you and your loved one, prior to receiving any care.

The overnight carer will usually arrive at your loved one’s home around 9pm. They’ll then stay for roughly 10 hours. The exact timings of when they’ll arrive and how long they’ll stay for will have been discussed in advance.

If your loved one also receives live-in care, there may be a slight overlap, as one carer takes over from the other.

The overnight carer will leave at some point during the morning, often around 7am, but this will have been pre-determined as well.

How Does Overnight Care Differ From Live-In Care?

Through live-in care, a carer will move in with your loved one full-time, so they’ll be available around the clock to provide whatever care and support is needed. Live-in care is suitable for older adults who wish to remain in the comfort of their own home, but still need regular care and supervision.

With that said, a live-in carer needs time to rest, which is where an overnight carer steps in. Often, live-in and overnight care work hand-in-hand, forming 24-hour home care. Here, a live-in carer will look after your loved one throughout the day, before an overnight carer steps in at night to look after your loved one while the regular live-in carer sleeps.

Does Your Loved One Need Overnight Care?

Overnight care is suitable for anyone who needs extra care and support throughout the night to ensure their safety.

During the night, your loved one may:

Need medication administering
Need their position changed while in bed, often due to a spinal injury or to prevent bed sores
Have dementia, making them prone to wandering and confusion
Find it challenging to look after their personal care needs without assistance (such as using the bathroom and getting from one place to another)

If your loved one is experiencing these complications, making it more difficult for you or them to get a good night’s sleep, overnight care may be needed. Currently, it might be your responsibility to get up in the night to help your loved one, which can be physically and emotionally draining over time.

The Benefits Of Overnight Care

It keeps your loved one safe - Through overnight care, your loved one will be regularly monitored, so any emergencies or care needs will be quickly looked after. The carer will also ensure your loved one remains safe, particularly if they wander or have limited mobility
It allows you to take a break from caring - If you’re a carer for a family member, having an overnight carer take over will allow you a well-earned break from your caregiving duties. You’ll be able to sleep well, knowing your loved one is in capable and caring hands
Medication can be given as needed - If your loved one requires medication at specific points throughout the night, having a carer available will ensure this is provided in the right way and on time
Personal care and mobility support are both available - A range of services are available through overnight care, including personal care and mobility support if your loved one finds getting in and out of bed or getting from one part of their home to another challenging
It promotes independence - While an overnight carer’s main job is to keep your loved one safe, they can also support their independence in care where possible. Many older adults want to feel as independent as possible while receiving care, so this is really important

How Much Does Overnight Care Cost?

The cost of overnight care varies, depending on factors such as location and whether your loved one needs overnight waking care or sleeping care, with overnight waking care being the more expensive option.

Below, we’ve listed the average cost of overnight sleeping and waking care provided by the home care agencies we work with, These prices assume that overnight care is received seven days a week throughout the year.

	Cost of Overnight Sleeping Care	Cost of Overnight Waking Care
Per Night	£187	£244
Per Week	£1,309	£1,708
Per Month	£5,672	£7,401
Per Year	£68,068	£88,816

Paying for overnight care

Whether you or your loved one will pay for overnight care will depend on the results of a financial assessment. This looks at the total value of any savings or income to work out if you qualify for full or partial funding from your local authority, or if you’ll be required to fund your own overnight care.

You can get a financial assessment by applying for a needs assessment by social services. Your loved one’s care needs will be assessed first, then they’ll have the financial assessment.

Other benefits and funding support are also available to help pay for care. If your loved one has heightened medical needs, they could be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare. They may also be eligible for Attendance Allowance or Personal Independence Payment, depending on whether they’re over or under the State Pension age.

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 overnight care at home or something else. Click the links below to learn more about the different types of home care offered by the agencies we work with:

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

Do overnight carers sleep?

Whether overnight carers sleep depends on the type of overnight care provided:

Sleeping night care - The carer sleeps through the night but is available to provide care if needed
Waking night care - The carer stays awake, so can provide specialist support at a moment’s notice. A waking night carer will often tend to domestic duties during the night when care isn’t needed

How many nights can a carer stay over?

If a carer moves in with you, they can stay for an indefinite period. This won’t affect any benefits you receive. Through live-in care, a carer will move in with your loved one full-time. In this circumstance, your loved one’s live-in carer will often sleep while an overnight carer can offer support throughout the night.

How long is a night shift as a carer?

The exact working hours provided by overnight carers will vary from home care provider to home care provider, but will likely take place between 11pm and 6am.