Find out about the benefits of receiving elderly care in your own home in the form of domiciliary or live-in care.
With an elderly care crisis occurring in the UK the need for care options beyond residential care is increasing very quickly. Residential care can be great for some, but the fact is that 97% of people would prefer not to go into residential care if they become unable to care for themselves, and there aren’t always local places available for those who need them. Instead, the spotlight is now on homecare services as a beneficial care option that not only ensures the happiness and health of those in need of care, but it also helps with NHS bed blocking and to relieve the pressure on other types of care as well.
If you are considering live-in care as an option for yourself or for a parent, you might be interested to know some of the many benefits associated with this type of care. Here are just some of the the benefits of elderly care in your own home:
Avoiding Loneliness
One in 10 people aged 65 or over say they feel lonely most or all of the time. Loneliness can cause all kinds of health problems and is thought to be as dangerous to our health as cigarettes. Loneliness can be caused by a lack of confidence because of mobility issues or incontinence problems leading a person to spend more time at home than they would like. Live-in care promotes independent living and carers will provide companionship themselves and actively encourage and enable clients to make connections with friends, family and neighbours.
Less Falls
According to the 2019 Better At Home report by the Live-in Care Hub, those in nursing homes will suffer from, on average, 1.5 falls a year, whereas in live-in care results in a third fewer falls.
No Need To Say Goodbye To Pets
The Live-in Care Hub Better At Home Report 2019 found that over 2 million people in the UK know elderly people who had to give up their pet so they could move into nursing care. The same study found 20% of elderly people would risk their health to avoid care and stay with their pet, and nearly 20% would pretend they were coping just so they didn’t have to leave their pet. When you receive care in your own home you can stay with your pets and often a carer can help with basic pet care.
You Get To Remain In The Place You Love The Most
By receiving care at home you get to remain in the place you love the most, keeping treasured possessions, local friends and neighbours and everything you have loved spending time near throughout your life.
You Choose Your Routine
Although your live-in carer will make suggestions on your care routine, you don’t have to stick to rigid timetables like you might in residential care. You make your own rules and your preferences are priority.
You Keep Your Sense Of Self
Lots of elderly people feel they lose their sense of self when they move into residential care because they are not independent and they don’t have a say over timetables. By staying as independent as possible with the help of a live-in carer you are able to keep your sense of self.
1-2-1 Care
In residential care you will receive care but the care is not dedicated to you and you may not get the interaction you would prefer. With live-in care, the carer is there to care for you and so you benefit from 1-2-1 care.
Favourable Rates
Many people believe live-in care is always more expensive than residential care when in fact the costs can compare favourably to residential care, especially when you are in a couple.
These are just some of the benefits of receiving care in your own home. It is important to speak to a live-in care agency who can provide you with more information. The live-in care agency may ask you to get a care assessment to find out if you can get funding from the government. You can speak to your local council about this and it is usually the first step to getting live-in care support.
