Why is live-in care best for couples?
There are many compelling reasons to receive care and support in your own home rather than enduring the potential distress and disruption of a moving into a care home:
Personalised care for both of you
One-to-one care cannot be achieved even in the very best care home. With the care and support of a live-in carer, you can both continue to live life your way. All with the reassurance that you are getting the very best one-to-one care that meets both your needs, around the clock.
Our comprehensive care planning process for live-in care for couples takes into consideration the needs of both individuals. Each of you will have a care plan that considers all your needs including your lifestyle choices and social preferences. The care you receive is personalised to you individually but also considers how you wish to live as a couple.
An expertly matched care team
We take the time to match the right live-in care team for our couples. This process considers the health and care requirements of both individuals, so the care team recommended has the experience and expertise to meet your needs.
We also look at personalities, lifestyle preferences and common and shared interests and values. This is proven to ensure the care team that cares for you fits into your lifestyle and provides interesting and enjoyable moments for you both whilst being able to meet care needs. This approach to matching the skills and personalities of your care team simply does not exist in a care home setting.
Care homes are expensive for couples
We recognise that one of the most significant considerations for couples when considering care options is the cost of care. If a couple moves into a care home, the cost of care is typically double the price of receiving high-quality, live-in care at home.
With live-in care, there is only one weekly fee for the care team, with a small supplement for couples’ care depending on needs, making it a very cost-effective alternative to moving into a care home for couples.
Stay together as a couple
Couples who choose to move into a care home are likely to have different care needs. This will result in being cared for individually on different floors and units within the care home, separating you both for a significant part of your daily life. There are very few care homes that offer double bedroom accommodation for couples especially if one of you has a diagnosis of dementia, so you are unlikely to be able to share the same living space – something many couples cannot even comprehend after having spent many years living together.
‘Outstanding’ live-in care by The Good Care Group
The Good Care Group has been providing high-quality, live-in care across the UK for over 10 years. Our care is focused on keeping people safely and happily in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes, whilst improving their overall health and well-being.
Our care is provided on a one-to-one basis and is highly-personalised reflecting not just an individual’s care needs, but their choices, wishes and social preferences as well. This enables our couples to maintain as much independence as possible while enjoying the lifestyle they are accustomed to.
Whether you require personal care or have an ongoing medical condition that requires complex care at home, our highly trained and directly employed professional carers can give you the individualised support you need to live life your way – not just as a couple, but as individuals.
We are able to provide nurse-led care as well as support from our in-house Occupational Therapist (OT). Your health outcomes will be monitored and managed proactively and effectively as and when you need it, with support and leadership from our in-house clinical experts.
What does our live-in care service include?
At The Good Care Group, we understand the importance of ensuring couples can continue to maintain their lifestyle and routines, whilst getting the support they both need.
A professional carer will support you in many ways, enabling you to focus on each other and the life you have always had. Our professional carers concentrate on the task of caring, whilst improving your overall health and well-being to positively enhance your life as a couple, but also as individuals.
Our carers will help by:
- Providing discreet and sensitive personal care
- Managing and administering medications
- Ensuring safe mobility in and around the home
- Domestic tasks
- Planning and cooking meals
- Facilitating social arrangements in the home
- Trips and visits out of the home in your local community
- Companionship as and when you need it
- Caring for your much-loved pet
- Specialist care for conditions and nursing-led care
- Household administration
Short-term care or respite?
Live-in care for couples can be offered as a short-term care arrangement to support one of you while you recover from an illness or following hospital treatment. It can also be offered as respite care so that a family carer can take a break from looking after you or for you to try live-in care for the first time to experience the many benefits it can offer you as a couple.
Choosing a live-in care provider
Once you have decided that live-in care is right for you both, you will need to consider choosing a care provider. This will involve deciding whether you use an introduction agency to recruit a carer for you to employ and manage yourselves or whether you use a provider who is able to offer a regulated and fully managed service.
This means the carer is employed, managed and supported by their company to provide the very highest standards of care. Introduction agencies are not regulated by The Care Quality Commission (CQC), so the quality of the care delivered is not inspected, unlike a provider who offers a managed service and directly employs their staff.
The Good Care Group is a fully managed and regulated service provider, which gives families much-needed peace of mind and reassurance at a time they need it most. We are the only live-in care provider in the UK to achieve an ‘Outstanding’ rating by CQC across all five categories – safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
Cost of live-in care for couples
The cost of live-in care at home is typically in line with, and often less for couples, than what you would pay for nursing care in a care home. This is all with the added benefit of receiving one-to-one tailored care, something that can rarely be achieved in a care home setting.
The weekly cost of your care will vary according to your care needs and whether you are living with any specialist conditions. After meeting with our friendly care advisors for your no-obligation care assessment, we can confirm the cost of care for the most suitable live-in care package.
It is worth knowing that there is funding available that may help you cover some or all of the costs of your care. If you have complex and ongoing healthcare needs, you may be eligible for Continuing Healthcare (CHC), a package of care arranged and funded entirely by the NHS. Social care funding and other benefits entitlements are also available.
Learn more about the funding options available for live-in care.
Talk to us about your live-in care needs
Our friendly and experienced team is here to help you and your family better understand live-in care for couples. Call us today.