There are multiple reasons why a person would want to chose live-in care after they have experience a care home, the most common reasons we hear are:
Elderly couples want to remain together, and find a more cost effective option
Elderly person misses their community and the familiar surroundings of their home
Not enough 1 2 1 personalised care has been provided
Strict routines and scheduled events do not work for particular person
Or your relative may simply not enjoy the environment of a care home and would like to spend their time on their own or with their friends, doing what they like - when they like!
We wanted to give you information on how to make the change and what to expect when changing from a residential care home to livein care, so you can eliminate any unnecessary and unexpected headaches.
Benefits of Live-in Care
Although care homes work very hard to provide high standards of care for their residents, there are certain benefits that make live in care a much more personal, flexible, and tailored option.
Some of the benefits of live-in care include:
Home cooked meals from favourite recipes and ingredients
One to one care, day and overnight care
Independence to do what you like, when you like
Freedom to stay in familiar surroundings of your home and go to local community events
Keep beloved pets
Host friends & family for dinner and social events
Freedom to keep to you own routines, do what you like - when you like
Staying at home and continuity of care has been proven to help maintain the quality of life for people living with conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's
If you think live-in care is the option for you, read below how to change from residential care to live-in care.
How To Change From A Care Home To Live-in Care
Call Our Friendly Live-in Care Specialists
Call our friendly livein care advisors and tell us about your relative or loved one and their care needs. We will talk you through your live-in care options and give you cost estimates. If you would like to go ahead, register with our live-in care agency and we will come to meet you and your family before we start looking for your perfect live-in carer. Once we have a few options for you to choose from, we will send you profiles of your live-in carer so you can make the best choice for your family.
Help With Funding
Not many people know that the same financial support is in place for both live-in care and residential care homes. Your loved ones situation will be assessed by the local authority and may be entitled to a care package, as well as attendance allowance funding. All care is capped at £72,000 - however with live-in care accommodation costs are covered and food related costs are reduced which means you will be able to get more from the funding help you receive.
You can of course self-fund via savings or equity release. If you have questions about costs of live-in care and help with funding, our friendly live-in care advisors are on hand to explain the process to you - call us on 01264 319399 or send us an email on hello@access-care.co.uk
Practicalities
There are a few practicalities to consider prior to arranging live-in care as follows:
Preparing the home
Our carers are mindful that they are coming to support your relative in their home and know that everywhere they stay is different. Having a domiciliary carer live in your home is much like preparing for a guest to stay.
Spare Room
A carer will need their own bedroom with sets of bed linen & towels, suitable storage for their clothes and belongings and access to a bathroom. If their bedroom has a television then that’s a bonus, but not essential. Wi-Fi too is preferred but again not essential.
Travel Costs
Our home carers do not expect to be reimbursed for their travel.
Food
Our domiciliary carers are encouraged to make meal times a sociable occasion and therefore eat with their clients, unless expressly asked not to (which in the case of couples is sometimes completely understandable). As we encourage cooking and eating together where possible our clients cover the cost of their carer’s food, so for example, shepherd’s pie for one becomes shepherd’s pie for two! If a carer has any special dietary requirements a client is not expected to pay for this and we will help to agree arrangements for both parties if necessary.
Housekeeping Money
There are a few ways that people typically manage a housekeeping fund for their home carer. One of the better ways is for the family to set-up a bank account and have a debit card for the carers. This way, the family can transfer monies online to cover what’s required and keep an eye on spending. The live in carer simply passes the card and pin to the next carer and so on. Other clients/families are happy to have a petty cash tin in the home that they top up when they visit in exchange for the receipts for purchases made.
Carer Rest Breaks
Live-in Carers need to have suitable breaks to complement their duties and ensure that they can care and support to the best of their ability. Each client is different and therefore each break pattern is too. We will help you establish a pattern that works for both client and carer. If your loved one can’t be left alone carers tend to be flexible and many will be happy replacing their daily breaks with a longer break once or twice a week when the family are visiting. Either way we will do our best to fit in around your routine.
Specialist Equipment
If your relative is finding moving around their home tricky then it is advisable to consult an Occupational Therapist who will visit them at home and make some recommendations. This way you can ensure that they and their carer will have the equipment they need to make the most of their home safely. We can put you in touch with a firm of private OT’s that provide this service if you wish.
Power of Attorney
Now may be the time to consider the appointment of a lasting power of attorney (LPA). This is a legal document that lets a person (the ‘donor’, in this case our client) appoint one or more people (known as ‘attorneys’) to help you make decisions or to make decisions on their behalf. This gives them more control over what happens to them if, for example, they have an accident or an illness and can’t make decisions at the time they need to be made (they ‘lack mental capacity’). We are more than happy to refer you to people that can help and advise you on this.
Insurances
It is worth notifying the home insurers that a domiciliary carer will be temporarily residing in the home and also the motor insurance company if a carer is required to drive.
Your Dedicated Team
At Access Care we put our customers and clients at the heart of what we do. We work together with you to find the perfect live-in carer to look after your loved one, and ensure continuity of care. You will always have a small and dedicated team a phone call away, and a dedicated Client Relationship Consultant who keeps in touch regularly ensuring all is ok.
To arrange live-in care for your relative or loved one, call our friendly live-in care specialists today on 01264 319399 or email us on hello@access-care.co.uk