More Elderly Brits Opting For Live-In Carers

With more and more people in the UK living longer, a growing number of families are having to face the difficult decision of whether to move their relatives into care homes.

However, the Telegraph reveals that there is growing interest in live-in carers, where a carer moves into an elderly person’s home to help them with day-to-day tasks and to provide companionship.

The newspaper revealed that the cost of having a live-in carer is comparable to the expense of moving into a care home, but that there could be other advantages for those who are able to stay in their own homes.

The publication cited research which showed older people who stayed in their own homes with live-in care and where the appropriate adaptations have been made, such as installing railings, walk-in baths and easy access toilets, are less likely to suffer falls and need treatment for hip fractures.

In fact, those who stay at home suffer one third fewer falls than their counterparts who are in care homes.

And there are a number of steps people can take to make their homes safer as they get older, including fitting handrails on both sides of staircases, making sure there is non-slip flooring in rooms that are likely to get wet, such as bathrooms or kitchens, and fitting seats in showers to make washing easier.

Elderly people themselves should also consider what shoes they wear in the house and ensure these are comfy, have good grip and are sensible, as well as making sure that their home is kept tidy and unnecessary obstructions aren’t left lying around.

However, the issue currently being faced by the care sector is finding enough live-in carers to meet the growing demand.