What Does A Live-In Caregiver Do?

An increasing number of families in the North Carolina triad employ live-in caregivers to look after their senior adults. It has become a popular choice since most Americans want to stay in their homes as long as possible rather than living in a homecare facility. 

The concept of live-in caregivers has captured the attention of many families caring for their elderly loved ones because they provide an alternative to nursing homes or assisted living by giving round-the-clock care in the client’s home.

What is a live-in caregiver?

Families hire live-in caregivers from a home care agency to provide care for a senior who has mobility issues. They can also help a senior who has just been released from the hospital after an illness, injury, or surgery.

This type of care is also needed when the senior is alone, or an elderly spouse or other family member is unable to satisfy their loved one’s care needs. A live-in caregiver can fill that void. That is true especially during the wee hours of the night when family caregivers have to rest.

How live-in caregiving services work

There are generally two types of live-in care: one requires a bed and space to sleep, and the other does not require sleeping arrangements. This difference impacts both the cost and type of care administered to the client. In either case, the caregiver must be accessible at all times to provide care, even at night.

Live-in care

A live-in caregiver works 4-5 hours a day and provides 24-hour care. They are allowed 8 hours of downtime but may be roused from sleep even at nighttime in case the client needs to go to the toilet or need some form of assistance. The client provides a bed for the caregiver.

24-hour care

Here, there will be 2 or 3 caregivers assigned to the client. They adhere to a schedule and work 8-12 hour shifts. This type of care is best suited for clients with higher care needs as the caregivers do not take breaks.

Some of the tasks a live-in caregiver is expected to do are:

• Personal care;
• Grooming;
• Dressing;
• Medication reminders;
• Continence care and toileting assistance;
• Setting appointments;
• Transportation to and from appointments;
• Meal planning, preparation, and feeding;
• Running errands;
• Socializing;
• Help with exercising;
• Life enrichment activities; and
• Companionship

Live-in caregivers are notably popular among families whose senior adult has Alzheimer’s disease as well as Parkinson’s. 

Home care agencies coordinate with the clients and their families to ascertain the best arrangement and organize an individual care plan.

Living Well Family Care in-home health care services

At Living Well Family Care, we provide quality live-in caregiving services that you can trust. We have a personalized approach to home care, so you can have peace of mind knowing your loved ones are in good hands.

We employ licensed nurses and caregivers with ample skills and will go above and beyond what you would expect from a live-in caregiver.

If it is exceptional care and attentive services that you want, then call us at 336-763-6998.