Choosing live-in care services is a smart option for seniors who want to stay at home but realize they’ll need some extra help.

There are many benefits to live-in care, and we will be covering many topics in this article.

Specifically, you’ll learn more about:

How Long Does It Take To Start Live-In Care?

How quickly services start depends on the client and the situation. Ideally, we would have a week or longer to find the right caregiver for your parent, but time isn’t always a luxury we have in this business.

We once received a call on Christmas eve, which happened to be on a Friday that year, right as the office was about to close. A family was looking for live-in services because it was the only way to have Dad home for the holidays. Otherwise, he would have to stay in the hospital.

In that scenario, availability became the more important attribute of our caregivers. Still, we prefer to have the time to match the right caregiver based on their ability and availability. We can send Mary Poppins to your parent’s home, and it just might not be the best personality match, so there is no perfect formula, but with the proper time, we often have great success.

How Do I Find a Live-In Caregiver?

There is three main way to discover an agency (like Minute Women) to provide life in care services.

Social Workers

Every hospital and nursing facility has social workers or case managers whose job is to educate you on your options when discharging home. They can make recommendations to you about which companies to call for services.

Word-of-Mouth

While declining parents isn’t always a hot topic to speak about, most adults have experienced it somehow. You would be surprised by the number of families with first-hand experiences with senior care services, like live-in care. Ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers what their experiences are, and you likely will get some advice.

Google Maps

Google searches are often the first step in finding a live-in care services provider. Customers finding us on Google has become increasingly common. With Google, you can do your research. View a companies website, staff, and culture. You can also read their reviews online and see what their reputation is.

What Does a Live-In Caregiver Do?

Live-in caregivers have two primary responsibilities when it comes to their clients.

Safety

You are considering hiring us to care for your parent because you feel that they no longer can live independently in their own home. Whether it’s repeated falls, dementia, or becoming frail, safety is the number one concern with families considering live-in care services.

Quality of Life

The other reason you wish to keep your parent at home is that they want to stay home and would be happier there than in a nursing home. Our caregivers are there to provide the best comfort that we can. While everyone is different, it could be reading the newspaper and watching the Red Sox each night. It might be the ability to still have family and friends over for small gatherings. No matter the reason, the caregiver has the responsibility to provide care in a manner that allows your parent to enjoy the best quality of life possible.

What Are The Responsibilities Of A Live-In Caregiver?

As for what live-in caregivers do every day for your parents, it can change drastically from client to client. It is safe to say that these specific tasks are part of a live-in caregiver’s normal routine:

  • Laundry and linens
  • Meal preparation
  • Fall prevention
  • Help with dressing and grooming
  • Taking out the trash
  • Getting the mail
  • Personal care and grooming
  • General safety awareness

How Does A Caregiver Become A Live-In Caregiver?

There are many reasons someone would be interested in moving into a client’s home and providing care for your parents. The main reason is that it provides them stable income compared to hourly care services.

The main benefit of live-in care is the stability of work and consistency of care for your parents. Many caregivers prefer to work in the same environment with the same client.

Additionally, changes in a caregiver’s family circumstances will allow them to become a live-in caregiver. For caregivers who have younger children at home, a live-in case would be impossible. Still, later down the road, when those children are grown and can be on their own, the freedom of that responsibility allows caregivers the ability to spend days at their parent’s home rather than a few hours.

Do Caregivers Pay Rent?

Caregivers do not pay rent to work in your home. Part of the lowered cost of live-in care compared to hourly care is staying in the home, eating meals, and sleeping at night.

The benefit for you and your parents is that someone is available during the day to provide hands-on care and that there is someone at one site at night that can help tend to emergencies.

When Do Caregivers Sleep?

Caregivers do get to sleep at night. As mentioned in the previous section, part of the reduced costs is that you have a caregiver available at night for emergencies, but for the most part, they get to sleep through the night until work starts the next day.

Additionally, it wouldn’t be long before caregivers started making mistakes or falling asleep in the middle of the day if they had to be awake all night. This standard is a win-win situation for many seniors because many sleep through the night and do not need around-the-clock care.

With live-in care services, you receive the best of both worlds with the peace of mind that someone is there if your loved ones need assistance.

How Many Hours Per Day Do Caregivers Work?

This figure can vary day-to-day, but we expect the caregiver to provide care for up to sixteen hours per day. The reality is that most seniors are not as active as they once were, so there may be long periods sitting on the couch, reading, or watching TV. We bring this up because sixteen hours a day sounds like a lot, but we usually compare caregivers to lifeguards; they aren’t always saving people in the ocean, but you are glad to see them when you need life-saving treatment.

Do you need help finding the right live-in caregiver for you or a loved one? Minute Women can help!

Contact Us now to learn about how we can help you.

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