What Does A Live-in Carer Do?

Feb 13
2 min read

Perhaps a better question would be ‘what does a Live-in Carer not do?’ for ‘they’ do so much and have such a varied task list and repertoire of skills. This article looks at some of the ‘typical’ tasks of a Livein Carer and how the support and care they provide enables people to remain living as independently as possible in their own home.

The help a Live in Carer will provide may be split into two categories: Personal Care, which is concerned with close contact help and support, and Daily Living Support which is more holistic in its approach but equally as important. Normally a combination of both is required and desired to offer a complete package of care and Living in Carers expect to help with as much or as little of each as their client requires and desires. Tasks are carried out safely with the use of ‘Personal Protective Equipment’ (PPE), and with dignity and respect. An advantage of Live-in Care here is that these tasks will never be hurried as client and Carer quite literally have all day.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the tasks a care may help with:

Personal Care

Help as required with dressing and undressing
Washing, bathing, showering & continence support
Oral hygiene & denture care
Eye, hair & nail care
Personal grooming & finishing touches - make up & shaving
Medication prompts & prescription collections
Hearing aids / diabetes / blood pressure monitoring

Daily Living Support

Getting up and going to bed
Companion care, mental stimulation, conversation, and laughter
Nutritious home cooking and meal preparation
Food shopping (organising deliveries or trips to the supermarket and the odd Take-Away maybe!)
Diarising, reminding & escorting to appointments
Day trips out, escorting to lunches, to church, day centres etc
Laundry - clothes & bed linen
Cleaning and housekeeping (whilst Live-in Carers are more than happy to keep a home tidy, they should not be considered ‘cleaners’ and if you have a large home it is worth engaging professional cleaners alongside your Carer.
Mail, bills & household admin
Caring for pets – walking and feeding
Light gardening – a hobby for two if possible
Communication with family, whether it be by phone or virtually over Zoom