What is Live-in Care?

Live-in care is a type of home care service Bluebird Care Rushcliffe & Melton offer. A home care service simply means that you are supported by a care worker in your own home. The difference with live-in care is that your care assistant will live in your home with you rather than only visiting at times when specific care or support is needed.

Although the care assistant lives with you in your home this does not mean that they are working for 24 hours every day. Most live-in care assistants are considered to be actively working for around 10 hours per day and will have regular breaks within that working time both daily and weekly. If you need care and support during your live-in care assistants break times or during the night this will be considered as part of the assessment and review process, and arrangements will be made to make sure you get the care and support you need.

Every person will have different care and support needs along with preferences in how they spend their time day to day, this means that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ for live-in care packages. Every live-in care package is bespoke to the needs and wishes of the person receiving the care and based on an assessment and review process which is carried out before live-in care begins and periodically while it continues.

Who can be supported by live-in care?

Anyone who has care and support needs but does not want to leave the comfort of their own home can be supported by live-in care. If you are happy living at home but do not feel that you can do so safely or happily on your own then a home care service might be right for you. Some people are able to remain safely and happily at
home with visiting care workers once or more a day but for some people a live-in care service might be a better option either because there are a lot of (or frequent) care and support needs or because companionship and social support are important to them.

For some people live-in care might be a great long term solution to meet their ongoing care and support needs but for others it might be something that is only needed for a short time if returning home from hospital, recovering from an illness or to give your regular carer a break.

Bluebird Care Rushcliffe & Melton's care services are fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for England.

What type of support do you get with Live-in Care?

Our dedicated team of live-in care assistants can support you with:

• Help you start the day; getting up, washed, dressed and having a good breakfast.
• Support with medication; remind and assist you in taking medicines, as well as collect or return medication from your pharmacy or dispensing GP surgery.
• Mealtimes; prepare meals with or for you and assist you at mealtimes.
• Outings; collect your pension with you, shop with you or help you to make a shopping list, go to the shops, plus come back and put it all away.
• Household; help with your laundry or ironing and keep your home clean and tidy.
• Social outings; support you with social activities like going out for a walk, attending a day centre, visiting friends or family or going to your church or club.
• Activities and hobbies; support to keep up with your chosen hobbies or activities.
• Personal care; bathing or showering, hair care, skin care, a little pampering when you need it.
• Continence care; support with getting to the toilet, using a catheter or continence aids.
• Specialist care such as support with stoma care, catheter care, PEG.
• Communication; support to maintain regular communication with your friends and family who are not close by, phone calls, video calls, email and letter writing.
• Companionship; company for you in your every day life.
• Wellbeing/health; monitoring changes in your health or wellbeing and helping you to get support where you need it from other health professionals.
• At the end of each day, some help with getting ready for bed.
• Over night care; from simply being there in case of an emergency to having a dedicated overnight care worker to support you in any way you need.

The most important thing to know is that any care and support we arrange is personal to you, your choices, your preferences and your needs. While the above is a list of the type of support we can provide there is no such thing as a generic or standard live-in care package, Bluebird Care Rushcliffe & Melton are here to support you to have your care, your way.

What is it like to live with a care assistant?

Your live-in care assistant will be living with you in your home during their work placement and they will need space that is their own so that they can have privacy and relax during their breaks. Their own space could include a bedroom with some storage space such as a chest of drawers or wardrobe, a bathroom, somewhere to relax with access to a television.

Having said that, your live-in care assistant will be respectful of your privacy in the same way that you are of theirs and will keep their private space tidy and clean, ensuring they respect the security of you home by following your instructions on locking windows and doors.

Your live-in care assistant will not invite other people into your home (ie: their family and friends), if they wish to socialise during their breaks they will leave your home to do so.

You may wish to enjoy your mealtimes with your live-in care assistant and as such may have shared meals, however your preferences in this will be discussed during your assessment and where appropriate separate dining arrangements can be included in your care plan.