Elderly Care News

The Benefits of Live-in Care vs. Nursing Homes

How Live-In Carer Provides Better Service At a More Affordable Price

When your elderly loved one is no longer able to take care of themselves, you have a multitude of options available to ensure their needs are taken care of. Some of the popular ones include nursing homes and live-in care. You can choose based on a number of factors including quality of care, price, reliability, and level of independence for your loved one. In this article we will explain the benefits of Live in Care versus other care types. That being said, let’s first mention the options and and then the pros and cons of each one.

 

  •  Nursing Home

    This method requires your loved one to move to a dedicated facility where the professional staff takes care of their basic needs.

  •  Visiting Care

    A caregiver comes to your loved one’s residence regularly and ensures that all of their needs and requirements are taken care of. This provides a higher level of independence as compared to nursing homes.

  •  Live-In Carer / Live-In Care

    A caregiver moves into your loved one’s home and resides there round the clock providing basic care and other services 24/7. This method ensures the highest level of independence and care for your loved one.

Downsides of Nursing Home compared to Live-in Care

We all know that a nursing home is the least helpful option for providing care to your elderly loved ones. You don’t only need to pay higher prices but your relatives also lose their independence and freedom and mobility as they have to stick to the rules and regulations enforced by the nursing home. Apart from that, there is no personal bonding or connection between the nurses and your relatives which can take care of their emotional needs.

Nursing homes also make for the least attractive caregiving option because it becomes more difficult for relatives to visit their loved ones. They have to take time out of their schedules and travel out of their way which is often done on a regular basis. That’s why live-in care through a live-in caregiver is a far better option. However, a live-in home carer is the best alternative because of a number of reasons. We will discuss a few major advantages of a live-in caregiver, but lets first mention a few downsides of the alternatives (because we really believe the Live in care provides more benefits compared to anything else).

Downsides of Visiting Care compared to Live-in Care

While visiting care is better than a nursing home, it still doesn’t provide the same level of service, independence, and versatility as the live-in care service. With visiting care, there is a strict schedule which means that the caregiver comes at a certain time and leaves when their time is up. Since they are usually hired for a day job, there’s no one to take care of your elderly loved ones during the night.

The other option you have is to hire two different people for the day and night care and it can become quite expensive. For occasional or regular night care, you may end up paying 200 euro per night which is prohibitively expensive. You can do so for a few nights every month but if your relative requires 24/7 professional assistance and care, it no longer remains an option for a majority of families.

Why Live-In Care is the Best and Most Affordable Option

That’s why live-in home care offers you the best alternative when your loved one requires round the clock support and care. The point to keep in mind is that if someone needs professional assistance during the night to be independent and have freedom of mobility, they don’t automatically become self-reliant during the day. If someone needs care or assistance during day or night, there is a high chance that they would require all-around care 24/7. This is why hiring a live-in caregiver is almost always the best option.

When you hire a live-in carer, you are basically providing them with a living space that they don’t have to pay for. In return, they are always there to take care of your loved ones. This saves money for both parties. The caregiver doesn’t have to rent a place for accommodation and since they don’t have to travel every day, they also save money that would’ve otherwise spent on fares. On the other hand, the person who needs to be taken care of gets affordable prices for professional support as they don’t have to pay for the cost of living and travel. It’s a win-win situation.

This becomes a strong motive for qualified people from Eastern Europe who are searching for live-in care jobs. And since they move from their country to another, they are far more likely to stay for a long work period. For instance, if you are from Dublin and recruit a local caregiver for an individual with severe Alzheimer, their job becomes extremely tough. However, as they live in the city, it is much easier for them to decide to quit earlier and find a less challenging job where their client is more independent both physically and emotionally.

That’s not the situation with a caregiver who comes from the other end of the European Union. Their only source of food and accommodation is their client’s house so they are more likely to stick to their job for long.

That is why we think the benefits of Live-in Care vs. Nursing Homes and other types of care are indisputable.

Home Care over Nursing Homes.

7 Reasons You Should Choose Home Care over Nursing Homes

When it is time to make a decision about helping an elderly loved one, it is often an emotional experience. You know that your older loved ones aren’t physically capable of taking care of themselves and you need to do something about it. Traditionally, nursing homes have offered a solution to this problem but it comes with many challenges and downsides that you don’t want your elderly relative to live through. Fortunately, viable alternatives to nursing homes are not only accessible but have become increasingly affordable in the most recent years. Live-in home care is one of those effective solutions that ensure exceptional care in the comfort of your loved one’s home.

What is Live-In Care

In a live-in care arrangement, a dedicated caregiver will move into your relative’s home to provide 24/7 one-on-one support. What this means for the elderly individual is that they can continue to reside in the home they love while having a person who can fulfill their needs round the clock. All you need to provide is a spare room for the caregiver so they can be comfortable. We have a long article about what is live-in care

However, you need to remember that as the situation develops, the condition of your loved one might deteriorate over time requiring you to modify the home. This may involve the installation of ramps, handrails, and other accessibility features. This will ensure that your elderly relative can continue to enjoy their mobility and independence. Here are 7 reasons why you should seriously consider live-in care for your loved ones instead of putting them in a home.

Benefits of Live-In Care

Every Caregiver is a Qualified Professional

When you hire someone to take care of your loved one at their place, you are not taking any risks. An overwhelming majority of the caregivers are uniquely qualified to provide a high level of support that aligns with the distinct needs and requirements of your loved ones. Most of the time you don’t even need to vet the individual as the agency providing live-in care services already does that on your behalf.

All you have to do is provide them with your requirements and expectations and the agency will find a suitable live-in caregiver for your loved one.

Loved Ones Stay in the Same Home and Environment

If you have an elderly individual at home, you know how emotionally attached they are to their place of residence and their routines. When you place them in a nursing home, their world turns upside down as they are no longer close to the place they love and have to abide by the rules set by someone else. With live-in care that’s not a problem at all.

While you may need to modify your home such as the installation of ramps and railings to facilitate mobility, elderly people can enjoy the rest of their lives at a place they call home. This gives them self-belief and confidence as they feel happier and more satisfied in the comfort of their own homes.

Home Care is More Affordable As Compared to Nursing Homes

If you are looking to provide a high level of care to your elderly parents or grandparents, you will have to pay a steep price for that. Nursing homes usually commit to a basic level of caregiving and require you to pay additional charges to meet the unique needs of your loved ones. Apart from that, elderly people have to deal with different caretakers all the time which can be quite disconcerting for them.

With live-in care, the situation is exactly the opposite. You can hire a dedicated caregiver for your elderly relatives without having to pay an exorbitant amount in the way of expenses.

Home Care – No Restrictions on Your Loved One’s Independence & Mobility

One of the major drawbacks of placing your elderly relatives in a nursing home is that it takes away their independence and freedom of mobility. They have no choice but to adhere to the rules and regulations of the home which can have an impact on their confidence as well as their quality of life. When they are forced to stick to a pre-determined schedule, life can become monotonous and boring.

On the other hand, live-in care doesn’t take anything away from your loved ones. They can make the choices for themselves and the hired caregiver is always there to help them out. This means that with live-in care, elderly people get a higher quality of life.

Better Focus on Emotional Needs

Nursing homes are designed to be strictly utilitarian and functional. It means that they are more focused on taking care of the basic needs of the individual such as providing accommodation, feeding them on time, and ensuring the elderly take their medications on time. However, as human beings, we all need emotional support which is often absent in nursing homes.

With live-in care, you don’t only get a helping hand but an empathetic individual who is there to take care of all types of needs including providing emotional support whenever required.

24/7 One-On-One Companionship

In nursing homes, your elderly loved ones hardly ever get personalised care. There are different caregivers in different time slots who are rotated on a regular basis. What this means for an elderly person is they cannot develop an emotional bond or connection with the people tasked with taking care of them.

In a live-in care arrangement, your elderly relative spends their time with the same caregiver which allows them to have companionship.

Allows Families & Couples to Stay Together

One of the major benefits of live-in care is that it allows families and couples to stay together. When someone is placed in a nursing home, they become isolated and the family or the spouse have to go out of their way to maintain regular communication. Sometimes the nursing homes are too far away for people to visit which results in loneliness.

Live-in care allows an elderly couple to stay together while ensuring that family can come over to visit any time they want. There is a higher sense of normalcy which the elderly appreciate.

Dementia Care and Support Advice

Dementia & Alzheimer’s Support

Dementia / Alzheimer’s Disease presentation

Are you taking care of a person with dementia? Then you bear a great responsibility, because caring requires a huge amount of strength, patience and empathy

Over time, your relative will probably need more help. Live-in-Care (LIC) will assist you with this. In this article you will find, for example, activities that you may implement in everyday life if you live with a person with dementia.

WHAT IS DEMENTIA

Emily Murphy is more and more frequently looking for her glasses. Sometimes she finds them in the fridge or between the towels in the chest of drawers. “You put them there,” her daughter says. She is wondering and anxiously asking herself if her mother suffers from dementia. Age-related dementia, Alzheimer’s or sclerosis – there are many popular names for the diseases that mainly affect the elderly. Behind them are various forms of dementia. The term “dementia” comes from Latin and means “far from the mind.” In fact, dementia is a loss of mental capacity. It occurs due to changes or brain damage, which may occur due to various reasons. As the disease was previously thought to be caused by deposits in the body, people with dementia were also called “sclerosing.” Read more