11 Feb What Does a Live-In Carer Do?
Getting older doesn’t mean that you lose your zest for life, or your desire to live on your own terms. Accepting your vulnerabilities as you get older shouldn’t, therefore, come with the price tag of giving up your freedom. Live-in care is a way to get the best of both worlds; older people get to maintain their independence at home, whilst being professionally cared for according to a carefully tailored care package.
How Live-In Care Works
When the Francis House Homecare team talk to potential clients about our live-in services, one of the first things we tend to get asked is: What does a live-in carer do? There’s no one answer to this because what they do depends very much on the needs of the person their caring for. So we put the question to 3 of our trained live-in carers, each working in different ways with different clients.
1. Raquel cares for an Elderly Couple
I’m a live-in carer for Jill and Ralph, although it’s Jill who needs care. She was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago and over the past few months her symptoms have worsened. Ralph’s been looking after her really well but he’s finding it more difficult now. They’re both in their early 80s. Ralph and I share the care of Jill and I try to make sure that he doesn’t overdo it. We’re working together on adapting their home to make it more dementia friendly.
2. Stephen is a Live-In Carer for Jim Who Has Multiple Sclerosis
Francis House always hand picks their live-in carers because you’re living so closely with your client. I thought I’d be a good match for Jim because we’re both keen sportsmen. He’s now confined to a wheelchair but having someone to talk to about his passion for rugby really makes a difference to his mood and energy levels. He can’t play any more, but I make sure he gets out to some kind of event every week, even if it’s just a kickabout in the park.
3. Nasra takes care of Arlene
My specialism is dementia care so I’m working with Arlene who’s experiencing quite complex dementia symptoms now. It can be very draining working one-to-one like this because you have to constantly repeat yourself and often Arlene doesn’t know who I am or why I’m in her home. There are small breakthroughs, though, that make it all worthwhile. Last week I found a number of highly coloured finger foods that Arlene loves, so I can be sure she’s eating and drinking regularly.
FHHC Provides Live-In Carers for Elderly Clients
Our live-in carers offer person-centred care that is different for every client. Some of the people we work with need help with light household tasks, as well as craving companionship. For others the needs are more complex, and we’re able to provide specialist feeding care (PEG), stoma care, dementia care, and physical health needs such as hoisting and managing medication.
If you would like to talk to us about live-in care call us on 01234 841808 or message us and we’ll get back to you promptly. Feel free to check out our FAQs here or see if live-in care is suitable for you here.