What Does A Live-In Carer Do?

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 Live in 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 Care 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 Home Carer quite literally have all day.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the tasks a domiciliary 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

• Companionship, 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 Home 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

For most people that engage a Live-in Carer, their lives are enhanced, and they have a truly positive experience. I am Jo, a Client Relationship Consultant at Access Care. My role is one of communication. I listen, talk, advice and empathise with my clients daily. I know that having a Carer support, help, encourage and care for my clients has incredible benefits and the testimonials I receive from my clients is certainly evidence of this. So, to answer the original question – “what does a live-in Carer do?” perhaps I would say – enhance the life of the person they are caring for.

Best Wishes

Jo