Live-in Care
When someone needs care throughout the day and night, moving to a care home isn’t the only option. With live-in care, a dedicated carer moves into your loved one’s home, providing round-the-clock support while they stay where they belong, surrounded by their memories and their independence.
Round-the-Clock Support Without Leaving Home
When someone you love needs care throughout the day and night, the options can feel overwhelming. A care home? Moving in with family? It can seem like staying at home is no longer possible.
But for many people, it still is. Live-in care means a trained carer moves into your loved one’s home, providing constant support while they stay surrounded by everything familiar: their own bed, their own kitchen, their own garden.
It’s not just about convenience. It’s about preserving someone’s sense of home.
What Is Live-in Care?
Live-in care is exactly what it sounds like: a professional carer lives in your loved one’s home, providing support whenever it’s needed, morning, afternoon, evening, and through the night.
Unlike visiting care, where a carer pops in at set times, live-in care offers continuous presence. That means help is always available. Whether your loved one needs assistance getting up at 6 am, someone to share lunch with, or reassurance during a restless night, their carer is there.
The carer has their own private space within the home, usually a spare bedroom, and takes breaks during the day. But they’re always on hand, always alert to needs, and always part of the household.
When Live-in Care Makes Sense
Live-in care tends to suit people who:
- Need regular support throughout the day – Not just a visit or two, but ongoing help
- Feel unsafe being alone – Perhaps after a fall, or due to confusion
- Want to stay in their own home – and don’t want to move into residential care
- Have complex health needs – Such as advanced dementia, Parkinson’s, or stroke recovery
- Are a couple – Both needing support, and wanting to stay together
It can also be a solution when family carers are struggling to keep up, or when someone’s needs have grown beyond what visiting care can provide.
Live-in Care vs Residential Care
Many families assume that once someone needs round-the-clock support, a care home is the only option. But that’s not always true.
According to Age UK, most older people want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible. And with live-in care, they often can, even when needs are high.
Here’s how the two options compare:
| Live-in Care | Residential Care | |
| Surroundings | Your loved one’s own home | Shared environment |
| Routine | Their own routine, their own choices | Communal schedules |
| Companionship | One-to-one attention | Shared staff, many residents |
| Pets | Pets can stay | Usually not allowed |
| Couples | Both partners can stay together | May be separated |
Neither option is right for everyone. But if staying home matters to your loved one, live-in care is worth exploring.
What Live-in Carers Do
Our live-in carers provide comprehensive support tailored to each individual. This typically includes:
- Personal care – Washing, dressing, bathing, and toileting
- Mobility support – Helping with walking, transfers, and preventing falls
- Medication management – Prompts and monitoring
- Meal preparation – Cooking meals your loved one enjoys, supporting nutrition
- Companionship – Conversation, company, and emotional support
- Household tasks – Cleaning, laundry, and keeping the home comfortable
- Night-time support – Reassurance and assistance through the night
- Appointments – Accompanying to GP visits, hospital appointments, or social activities
For those with dementia or other complex conditions, we match carers with specialist training and experience.
Choosing the Right Carer
Finding the right match is crucial. Your loved one will be sharing their home with this person, so they must get along.
We take matching seriously. We consider:
- Personality and temperament – Are they quiet or chatty? Formal or relaxed?
- Interests – Shared hobbies can make a real difference
- Experience – Particularly important for complex care needs
- Practical considerations – Such as whether they’re comfortable with pets
Before care begins, you and your loved one will meet the carer. If it’s not the right fit, we’ll find someone else. And if the relationship isn’t working after care has started, we’ll address it.
Arranging Live-in Care
We make the process as smooth as possible:
- Talk to us – Share your situation and your loved one’s needs
- Home assessment – We visit to understand the home environment and care requirements
- Carer matching – We find someone suited to your loved one
- Introduction – Your loved one meets their carer before care begins
- Care starts – And we stay in regular contact throughout
Contact us
Contact us for an informal chat about whether live-in care might be right for your family.
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FAQs
Live-in care typically costs between £1,200 and £1,500 per week, depending on the level of care needed. While this can seem expensive, it’s worth comparing to residential care costs and considering the value of staying home. Some funding may be available through local authority assessments or Attendance Allowance.
Yes. Live-in carers need regular breaks during the day, typically a couple of hours, and they need sleep at night. For people who need active support throughout the night, we may arrange additional overnight cover or waking night support.
We take matching very seriously, but sometimes relationships don’t work out. If that happens, just tell us. We’ll find a replacement carer. There’s no need to struggle with a situation that isn’t working.
Absolutely. All our live-in carers have specialist dementia training. The one-to-one nature of live-in care is often particularly suited to people with dementia, who benefit from consistency, routine, and familiar surroundings.
Yes, and this is one of its biggest advantages. Couples who both need support can remain together in their own home, rather than potentially being separated in residential care. We can arrange care that supports both partners.