After much discussion, your family has decided to start around-the-clock professional home care for your aging mother. Since most of the local home care providers offer both live-in and 24-hour care, you’re still confused as to which option would work best for Mom. Knowing the difference between the two types of around-the-clock care is essential when your loved one’s quality of life weighs in balance. To ensure a better-informed decision, what follows are the advantages and disadvantages of both options.
What is Live-In Home Care?
With this type of care, one caregiver is scheduled daily for a 24-hour period. Depending on the location, one caregiver can be booked for a maximum of four to five days per week. For the other days, a different caregiver is scheduled. Within each 24-hour visit, the daytime caregiver takes a four-hour break, during which care may need to be provided by an informal caregiver or another paid caregiver.
For a live-in shift, the caregiver is allowed an eight-hour sleeping break and a bed must be provided by the care recipient. Live-in care is billed at a flat per-diem rate. If additional provider-supplied coverage is needed during the primary caregiver’s four-hour break that time is billed at an hourly rate.
Pros of live-in care:
A major plus of live-in care is that the number of caregivers is significantly less, with only two caregivers for an entire week. This feature provides consistency in care and allows clients and their families to establish stronger relationships with their caregivers.
Cons of live-in care:
The main downside of live-in care is that there is a four-hour window during which care must be provided by family members or paid professionals for an additional fee. Additionally, the primary caregiver gets a mandatory sleeping break during which the client does not have direct supervision.
What is 24-Hour Home Care?
With this type of in-home care, two caregivers are scheduled daily, each of which works a 12- hour shift. In some instances, clients prefer to schedule three, eight-hour shifts to ensure their caregivers are always fresh and alert.
One caregiver can work a maximum of four, 12-hour visits per week, which means different caregivers must be scheduled to cover the remaining visits. Although a caregiver gets no sleeping breaks during their 12-hour visit, the client can choose to allow them to sleep over.
In general, 24-hour home care is billed at an hourly rate. For an overnight visit, the fee is billed at a flat rate if it’s a sleeping visit or at an hourly rate if it is a non-sleeping visit.
Pros of 24-hour care:
The main benefit of having 24-hour care is that a caregiver is always there, whether it’s the middle of the night or mid-afternoon. In addition to peace of mind, some clients prefer this option because they believe their caregivers will be at maximum alertness.
Cons of 24-hour care:
One disadvantage of this home care option is that the cost is higher due to it being billed at an hourly rate. Depending on the location, live-in care typically runs roughly half the cost of 24-hour care. Another downside of 24-hour care is less consistency and familiarity with the caregivers, which may not be a viable option for someone who’s easily confused due to a condition such as dementia or Alzheimer’s.
Around-the-Clock In-Home Care for Seniors in Bedford, MA, and Northwest Boston
Finding a trustworthy home care provider isn’t always easy. At Assisting Hands Home Care, our professional in-home senior care services allow clients in Bedford, MA, and the greater Northwestern Boston area to remain safely and comfortably in their own homes. Our trained, dependable caregivers and personal assistants can help your family overcome its eldercare challenges while making your loved one’s home an even better place to be.
Our turnkey home care services include everything from companionship, meal preparation, medication reminders, and transportation to light housekeeping, laundry, and personal care assistance with bathing and dressing. From a few hours a day to around-the-clock care, our customized in-home care solutions have got your family covered. Click here now to learn more about Assisting Hands Home Care or schedule a free consultation for a senior in Northwest Boston.
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