Looking After Hillingdon

Never has the wellbeing of our loved ones been more important. There comes a time when many of us need to seek assistance when looking after the people who matter most.

For family members who need regular or constant care and are highly dependent, you are faced with two options. Do I put them in a care home? Or do I have home care visits to meet their needs? 

Both options provide specialist care through professional care assistants. However, due to the threats of COVID-19, it has become more vital to truly consider what the best option is for your loved one when it comes to planning the next stage in their life. 

We have taken a closer look at your options, comparing some of the key differences between a live-in home care service and life in a care home.

Familiar Surroundings Provide Comfort

Moving into a care home essentially means moving home; the added stress of physically adapting to new surroundings, with new unfamiliar people, and a different lifestyle can be too much for some. Leaving the comforts of your own home, where you may have lived the majority of their life, and created a lot of memories can be very daunting.

Live-in care assistants provide an added sense of trust, taking care of your needs while respecting your privacy and personal life within your home. This often means going above and beyond to give patients the high-levels of attention they would expect from a care home, from home. 

Nobody wants to have to make any kind of significant adjustments in their lives, and this is why you would like to have someone who you can trust and develop a relationship with. Someone who can provide you with tailored care to suit your needs.

Flexibility is Key

It may not be quite the right time for full time care, home care can be tailored exactly to the customer’s requirements and can be quickly adapted if the situation changes. This flexibility allows care to be provided from a few hours per day, to full-time 24 hour live-in care.

A more intensive live-in care service ensures customers will always have someone there, similar to being in a care home. With a personal care assistant being available as and when you need it, during the day-time or the middle of the night. 

Cost

When it comes to pricing, live-in care services are most comparable to care homes, and in most cases, are cheaper than sending your loved one to a care home facility. 

On average, full time live-in care services work out to a total of approximately £1,000 per week. This would include all the one-to-one, personal care services from a dedicated care assistant. 

Alternatively, if you were to send a member of your family to a care home, depending on the levels of services and standards they provide, you would pay around the same amount. 

It is worth factoring the costs of running your home before making any financial decisions as with a care home you will see a reduction in rent and household bills.

An Attentive Approach

Care homes usually provide 2 members of their staff to look after and manage between 15-20 customers in total. As a result, they would not receive the same level of one to one care you would expect from a quality home care provider.

By definition live-in care means you or your loved one receive more personalised and attentive experience and service. On most occasions, care assistants would be assigned to each individual based around their personality; to work out who will be the best fit for that particular person.

Live-in care assistants solely look after that customer on a 1-1 basis, versus common practice in care homes, where care assistants could potentially have less time to dedicate to the care of one customer, before moving onto the next.

Limited Exposure to Illness

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more so important for care assistants to ensure that the safety of their customers are staying safe and protected from the virus. Over recent months of this pandemic, live-in care specialists have made it a number one priority to visit all customers with full PPE. This then ensures that both care professionals and customers alike are always staying safe and protected with less risk of infection.

With a live-in care service, there is limited exposure to vital diseases and illnesses such as COVID-19, in comparison to the possibility of you or your loved one being overly exposed in a care home. This is due to there being more members of staff and patients in shared spaces which increases the risks of spreading diseases and viruses. 

How Bluebird Care (Hillingdon) Can Help

At Bluebird Care (Hillingdon), we pride ourselves on providing you with the best possible care. If you would like to get in touch with us to find out more information on our services, then please find the contact information below; 

Telephone: 01895 231211

Email: hillingdon@bluebirdcare.co.uk