When someone needs support around the clock, families are usually told there is one option: a care home. There is another. A live-in carer moves into your relative’s home and provides one-to-one support day and night — in their own house, with their own things, often with their own pet.
For many families it costs comparably to a residential care home, and it buys something a care home structurally cannot: undivided attention.
Who live-in care suits
- Someone who needs help throughout the day and reassurance at night
- Couples who want to stay together, where one or both need support — a single live-in carer can often support both, where a care home would usually separate them
- Someone recently discharged from hospital who needs intensive short-term support
- People with advanced dementia, Parkinson’s, MS, or after a stroke
- Anyone who has said clearly they do not want to go into a home
What a live-in carer does
- Personal care — washing, dressing, bathing, continence support
- Medication management
- Cooking, shopping and meal preparation
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Mobility support and help with transfers
- Company, conversation and getting out of the house
- Support to appointments and social visits
- Reassurance during the night
- Pet care
Your relative keeps their routine. If they have always had toast at seven and a bath on Sundays, that continues.
What live-in care is not
Being straight about this saves difficult conversations later.
- It is not nursing care. Live-in carers are not registered nurses. Where clinical tasks are needed, district nurses visit alongside our carer.
- It is not 24 hours of active care. Your carer needs sleep and a daily break, usually two hours. Where someone needs genuine round-the-clock waking support, we arrange two carers on a rota or a waking night service.
- It needs a spare room. Your carer requires their own bedroom, and access to a bathroom, kitchen and wifi.
The practical arrangements
- Carers typically work on a rota, commonly two weeks on and two weeks off, with the same two carers alternating so your relative has consistency
- We match carefully — shared interests, language, whether the person prefers someone chatty or quiet, and whether they would prefer a male or female carer
- You meet the carer before care starts, and if the match is not right we will change it
- We handle the rota, cover, holidays and sickness, so you are never left without someone
Cost, and how it compares
The cost depends on how much support you need and how often. After a free, no-obligation assessment we give you a clear, itemised quote — no pressure and no hidden extras. Call 01582 453 800 and we will talk it through honestly.
Worth understanding: for a couple, live-in care is often dramatically cheaper than two care home places, because one carer can support both. You will also need to budget for food for the carer and their household costs while they are staying.
Frequently asked questions
Is live-in care really cheaper than a care home?
For one person it is usually broadly comparable. For a couple it is very often significantly cheaper. And the care is one-to-one rather than shared between a dozen residents.
What if we do not get on with the carer?
Tell us and we will change them. Matching is the most important part of live-in care and we do not expect to get it right by accident — which is why you meet them first.
Do you provide live-in care for couples?
Yes, and it is one of the strongest arguments for live-in care. Couples who have lived together for fifty years should not be separated because one of them needs help washing.
Arrange a conversation
Call 01582 453 800 or book a free assessment. We will visit, talk through what is needed, and be straight with you about whether live-in care is the right answer.