Today, seniors in the country increasingly prefer to age in place. This concept entails remaining within the comforts of one’s house instead of moving to a retirement home or a long-term care facility. Many seniors prefer this option because it allows them to stay independent in a familiar environment. But, with age, seniors might require assistance with domestic activities and home maintenance. In such scenarios, home care services like live-in assistance may be of help.
Types of live-in care arrangements
These services come in different forms, offering varying levels of care depending on an older person’s needs. Out of the various alternatives, only certain types of live-in arrangements require a caregiver to move into a senior’s home permanently.
1. Live-in caregiver: Separate residences
In this arrangement, a designated caregiver spends 4 to 5 nights a week in the client’s home for a specific number of hours while still maintaining their separate residence. In this way, the caregiver provides the necessary care during the workweek. On the primary caregiver’s off days, an alternate caregiver steps in to provide assistance. Clients are expected to provide caregivers with a private room and bed during their stay. While caregivers are not expected to stay up all night, they will still assist seniors in the middle of the night, such as with help getting to the bathroom.
2. Live-in caregivers: Permanent living arrangement
As the name indicates, in this model, the caregiver moves into the senior’s home permanently for the duration of their service agreement. The caregiver will have a private bedroom in the senior’s home instead of a separate residence. Despite the permanent live-in arrangement, these caregivers do not offer service nonstop. They are expected to offer assistance for a designated number of hours every day. They sleep during the night and receive breaks during the day but will offer care if any urgent assistance is required during those periods.
3. Live-in caregivers: 24-hour rotating shifts
These caregiving services are for seniors who require a high level of care. 24-hour awake caregiving involves 2 or 3 caregivers who work 8 to 12-hour shifts in rotation to offer live-in assistance to seniors in need. Caregivers are expected to remain awake and available for the entire duration of their respective shifts. It is important to note that since a team of multiple caregivers is involved, the costs of such services are typically high.
Key services offered
Older adults who opt for live-in help will benefit from various support services aimed at helping them maintain their quality of life as they age.
1. Household maintenance
Caregivers can handle domestic tasks for their senior clients, including laundry, gardening, shopping, minor handyman work, and general housekeeping. To keep a household running smoothly, some live-in assistance services for seniors may also include additional help with bill payments, scheduling and managing appointments, and handling minor financial management tasks.
2. Home modifications
To help seniors who face difficulty moving around, caregivers can carry out minor home improvements that include adding grab bars in the shower or installing ramps to replace stairs.
3. Personal care
Caregivers are trained to offer assistance services to aid their clients’ daily living. This includes dressing, meal preparation, bathing, and similar other tasks. Such assistance helps seniors maintain proper hygiene and wellness and improve their quality of life.
4. Companionship
Social isolation is a key concern among seniors who choose to live independently. Besides providing support with daily activities, live-in caregivers also offer seniors much-needed companionship. This involves engaging in conversations with clients for as long as they need, listening to music with them, watching movies with them, helping them with gardening (or making them feel involved while the caregiver does the main gardening work), trying creative hobbies like art or craftwork together, and playing games with the client to raise their spirits and bring back a sense of optimism.
Things to keep in mind before selecting service providers
Various organizations offer live-in help for seniors. Given the range of options to pick from, certain factors play an important part in making the right decisions.
1. Specific care requirements of seniors
Live-in caregiver services can be expensive. So, seniors must only consider them only if they need them. If seniors need help with tasks like dressing, bathing, using the restroom, cooking meals, and housekeeping, they can opt for live-in assistance.
2. Short-term vs long-term requirement
Depending on a senior’s situation and specific needs, they may require live-in care for just a few days, weeks, or months, or permanently. It is important to understand whether the need is temporary or permanent and compare service rates accordingly.
3. Reputation and credibility of service providers
When choosing a live-in assistance service, it is important to check their reputation and previous track record. Online reviews, testimonials, and word-of-mouth recommendations from previous clients can serve as valuable tools in evaluating a provider’s reliability. Seniors should avoid opting for caregivers who have a history of poor feedback or questionable practices.
4. Price of service providers
Since live-in help for seniors can be expensive, one must check the prices of multiple service providers before selecting one that aligns with their budget.
Apart from these, the location of the service provider and their quality of care are a few other factors clients should consider.
The average cost of live-in care services for seniors
The cost of live-in help for seniors can vary from one state to another. The estimated median costs come in the range of $31 per hour for in-home caretaker services. But, this can vary depending on the type of care needed, the caregiver’s experience, and the location. So, seniors must obtain multiple quotes from providers, compare, and determine the best option that fits their budget and needs.