What live-in care actually means
A live-in carer lives in the home. They have their own room, they sleep there, and they are on hand through the day for personal care, meals, medication, housework and company. It is not a series of visits with gaps in between. It is one person who knows the household, knows the routine, and is there when something happens at four in the afternoon on a Tuesday.
For most families the decision is not really between live-in care and hourly visits. It is between live-in care and a care home. Live-in care keeps someone in their own bed, in their own kitchen, with their own things around them, and it usually costs less than a residential placement for a couple.
Live-in care for couples
This is the situation we are asked about most, and it is the one where live-in care makes the most obvious sense. When one partner develops a condition that needs long-term care, the standard options split them up after decades together. One goes into a home, the other stays behind alone.
A live-in carer supports both people in the house they share. That might mean full personal care for one partner and a lighter touch for the other: help with the shopping, a hand with the stairs, meals cooked for two, and the reassurance that someone else is awake if there is a fall in the night. Charging for one carer supporting a couple is considerably more affordable than two residential placements.
The bond matters more than the rota. The relationship between a live-in carer and the people they look after is the thing that makes this work. We take time over the match, and if it is not right we change it. You are not stuck with someone because they were the name on the schedule.
What a live-in carer does
- Personal care: washing, bathing, dressing, grooming and continence support
- Help getting up in the morning and settling at night
- Medication management, including prompting, assisting and recording
- Cooking, and eating together rather than leaving a plate
- Housekeeping, laundry, changing beds and keeping the place safe underfoot
- Shopping, errands and getting to appointments
- Company, conversation and getting out of the house
- Support with mobility, and keeping an eye on the things that change slowly
Where someone has a more involved condition, live-in care sits alongside our complex care service: stroke recovery, physical disabilities, PEG feeding and long-term conditions.
How it starts
We come out and do an assessment, usually with Jackie, who runs the service. We talk to the person who needs care, not only about them. We talk to family, and where it is relevant to the GP, district nurse or social worker. Out of that comes a care plan that says who comes, when, and what they do, and it changes as things change.
Practically, a live-in carer needs their own bedroom, somewhere to store their things, and food. They are entitled to a proper break during the day and an unbroken night's sleep. Where someone needs support through the night as well, that is a different arrangement and we will tell you so rather than stretch one carer across twenty-four hours.
Questions families ask
How much does live-in care cost in London?
It depends on how much support is needed, whether it is for one person or a couple, and whether there is night-time care involved. We give you a written figure after the assessment, not before, because a number quoted down the phone before anyone has seen the situation is a guess. See our guide to paying for care in London for how council funding, direct payments and NHS Continuing Healthcare fit in.
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home?
For a couple it usually is, because one carer supports two people rather than paying two residential fees. For one person the figures are often comparable, and the deciding factor tends to be that they stay in their own home.
What happens when the carer takes a break or goes on holiday?
We arrange cover. A live-in carer is entitled to time off during the day and to holidays, and we plan replacement cover in advance so there is never a gap. Where families want a short break instead, that is our respite care service.
Do we need to provide a room?
Yes. A live-in carer needs their own bedroom with somewhere to store their belongings, and access to the kitchen and bathroom. It does not need to be a large house.
Can live-in care be arranged quickly?
Often, yes, particularly where someone is coming out of hospital. Call us and we will tell you honestly what we can do and how fast, rather than agreeing to something we cannot staff.
Talk it through with Jackie
No call centre and no obligation. Tell us what you are dealing with and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.