Elderly Care: Live-in care versus a care home, what are the benefits?
When deciding on the best care full-time options for your relatives, it can often be hard to choose what is best for their circumstances as well as yours
Get access to a free, expert care assessment from our professionals
Hiring live-in care for their or your home, or paying for them to be looked after in a care home are two common options. Here we compare these two care options and the merits and drawbacks of each.
Live-in care at home can help support your relative’s daily activities, provide companionship for them when you’re not around and give them assistance whilst maintaining an independent life. Your loved one can work with their carer to maintain their lifestyle and daily routine whilst being able to stay in their home and community, surrounded by family and friends as normal. One of the great benefits of live-in care is that its costs are less than those of residence at a care home, providing a more affordable option.
However, there are also some things to keep in mind. When using an agency, staff may have to be rotated to allow for time off, so they may not always have a familiar face with them. If you choose to self-employ a carer instead of arranging it through an agency, you would have employer’s responsibilities, including managing pay, insurance, necessary training and vetting. Whenever live-in care is put in place, the relative’s home must be adapted to prevent injuries and meet their needs to ensure that they can stay in it comfortably and safely.
On the other hand, care homes are specifically tailored for the elderly, thereby being easily accessible and safe from the outset. Your loved one may also enjoy being part of the elderly community in a care home, as they will be surrounded by other residents of a similar generation. However, relocating and losing contact with old neighbours and friends can be difficult and may lead your loved one to become lonely. The staff in care homes are also required to care for multiple residents, meaning they will not receive individual attention and care as they would with a live-in carer. Other residents’ schedules may clash with your relative’s usual daily routine and without the assistance they need to maintain it from a carer, it could lead to a loss of independence. Ultimately, residential living in a care home can be the costlier option due to accommodation costs.
Both live-in care and care homes have their merits and drawbacks to consider. The best option for you and your relative will, therefore, depend on your needs and situation; call Cera for a free, expert consultation on 0203 034 4771 or visit our website.
