Live-in or 24-Hour In-Home Care Services: What You Need to Know

 24-Hour home care

With age, seniors, such as parents and older adults require regular care and companionship for handling day-to-day tasks. However, elderly care, especially when you work or live far away, becomes quite difficult. Older adults with transportation issues also need regular and unpredictable care. Even people with dementia problems often have safety concerns such as walking, anxiety, falling, feeding, or using household equipment. 

As their needs and demands increase, an elderly parent might need 24-hour care. This is where regular visits from caregivers or in-home caregiving services become a necessary need. As seniors and parents start aging, it’s quite difficult for them to manage and handle  additional household tasks every day by themselves. For certain situations, you may also have to hire round-the-clock care services for them. 

And while organizing around-the-clock care, you have two options of choosing – Live-in care or 24-hour in-home care. Both services are different in a couple of significant ways and enable seniors to receive 24/7 care from caregivers while allowing them to stay in the comfort of their own home. However, they vary in the duration of a caregiver’s shift and the number of caregivers someone might have over the day. They can also vary in the type of payment plan and cost. 

However, which is the best option for you? Do not worry! We help you understand the difference between live-in and 24-hour care, and which option would be best for your loved one based on his or her situation. 

What is a Live-in Home Care Service?

Live-in care refers to 24-hour services, where caregivers live with elders in their homes during the day and night to perform duties described in the care plan. These services range from 12 or 24 hours to several days or even a full week. In the short term, caregivers work between 4 and 5 days each week, providing 24-hour live-in care during this time. In these services, one caregiver will work during the week and another on the weekends. The 8-hours of sleep facility is available for caregivers, but they may be disrupted at night to provide care throughout the night. 

Who Requires Live-In Care?

People who require live-in care:

• Recover from a sickness or illness
• Mobility problem
• Feel overwhelmed taking care of themselves
• Live far away from the family or friends who could lend a hand
• Have Alzheimer’s or dementia problems

Benefits of Live-in Care

Here are the following benefits of getting Live-in care services: 

• Increase nutrition through dietary management and meal preparation
• Improve elders’ safety
• Lessen stress and anxiety, especially around things like getting to and from doctors’ appointments and the grocery store
• Regular exercise, ambulation, and help with ongoing therapy, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.
• Improve socialization, especially for elders that are isolated.
• Proper medication management and reminders
• Enhance family involvement

What are 24-Hour Home Care Services?

In 24-hour senior care services, two or more caregivers are hired. They rotate their shifts to ensure someone is always available and awake during the day and night to assist the elder. The 24-hour care is charged at an hourly rate.

Who Requires 24-Hour Care?

People who require 24-hour elderly care services:

• Physically not able to move the person you are caring for.
• Only one caring person is available for them.
• Having cognitive problems.

Benefits of 24-Hour Care

Here are the following benefits of hiring 24-hour caregiving services:

• Help a senior get light exercise, which is an important part, or retain mobility.
• Help them care for their personal hygiene, as in bathing, combing their hair, applying lotion, and brushing teeth
• Help them get dressed
• Help with going to the bathroom or dealing with incontinence and accidents.

Difference Between Live-in and 24-Hour Care

The following tables elaborate the pros and cons of both services, which further help you in concluding the difference between them.

Live-in Care:

24-Hour Care:

When an Aging Loved One Requires 24 Hour or Live-in Care?

There are many reasons one may need 24 hour or live-in care:

• Wandering & Agitation

People diagnosed with dementia, managing sundown experience symptoms like fear, confusion, and periodic agitation. They cannot handle household tasks easily and comfortably. Therefore, hiring someone who monitors and manages all the daily tasks can lessen these symptoms. A caregiver provides full attention to their activities as they are well-trained and qualified. Their appropriate techniques produce a calming effect on people.

• Require Personal Care and Transportation

Sometimes seniors and parents require services like bathing, dressing, and transferring. People suffering from dementia problems usually forget and have a fear of handling such activities. Even a physical problem related to injury or other chronic medical problems makes it difficult for seniors to supervise household activities. Some people require assistance with toileting while others require assistance with dressing, bathing, and grooming. This is where a caregiver gives a sigh of relief to family members. 

• Prevention of Falls

Hiring a caregiver will assist the seniors from accidental falls. Elders usually face such incidents during the night. However, a live-in or 24-hour caregiver will accompany them during the night. During the day, a caregiver will also observe a person’s actions and support safe activity to strengthen muscles. With physical therapy, caregivers help the seniors to perform their exercises safely.

• Need Assistance With Cooking and Eating

Several neurological problems like dementia can also directly affect a person’s cooking and eating habits. Even loss of appetite is a common problem usually seen in people diagnosed with dementia. However, a 24-hour or live-in caregiver will not assist caregivers with cooking, but also help with proper eating and maintaining their hydration reminders. Plus, these professional caregivers will also shop and plan specialty meals according to the doctors’ recommendations or dietary restrictions.

• Companionship & Stimulation

Sometimes, seniors or elders require 24-hour or live-in care services for full companionship and support. Hiring caregivers will not only make a significant positive impact on elders’ moods but also enhance their well-being. These experts have proper knowledge and skills – how to keep a dementia patient busy with stimulating activities. Some of these activities are games, movies, or puzzles.

• Medication Reminders

It is quite hard for seniors to remember their medications taking time, plus their schedules or appointments booked with doctors. This is where live-in or 24-hour caregivers assist by creating a medication list to maintain consistency. Additionally, a caregiver also reports medication compliance issues. They can also keep track of any possible side effects of medications.

How Much Does Live-in Care Cost?

Homecare for the elderly in their own homes costs vary from agency to agency, plus state to state. Home care agencies usually mention live-in care rates based on caregivers’ shifts, which is often less expensive than their hourly rate. Some agencies have fixed their rates on an hourly basis, which is $200 per day. In general, the average 24/7 live-in caregiver pay is $100-300 per day if billed by the shift instead of the hour.

According to Genworth’s Cost of Care Survey 2019, the average cost of assisted living in California in 2020 was $4,500/month. However, based on the geographical region of the state, the average monthly cost ranges from $3,175 to $5,853.

How Much Does 24/7 In-Home Care Cost?

One of the effective benefits of in-home elder care is that it is adaptable according to the needs of each senior. Since in-home care is scheduled hourly, you only pay for exactly the amount of care you need. However sometimes, an elderly adult needs hands-on assistance all day and night.

The average cost of 24/7 care at home stacks up to around $15,000 a month, whether that’s 24-hour companion care or home health care. The hourly rate of 24-hour home care is $23, which turns into $552 per day.   

Live-in or 24-Hour Care- Which is the Best Choice for Seniors?

Both live-in care and 24-hour care have different characteristics that define their abilities:

• Live-In Care

Live-in care services are an effective choice for elders who sleep through the night and do not require much attention. Even caregivers can relax during the day or night to prevent possibly hazardous activities. 

Finding a live-in carer requires an appropriate approach, including certification, experience, level of providing care, and many other factors. Therefore, it’s recommended that you consider every factor to make the process easy and simple.

• 24-Hour Care

The 24-Hour In-Home Care for Seniors is an appropriate choice when your elderly loved one walks or professes several threats to themselves due to physical or mental conditions. These services are urgently required if your loved ones suddenly awaken during the night due to the symptoms of “sundowner’s syndrome”. Even if your seniors are experiencing frequent falls, you might rely on these services as well.

Both live-in or 24-hour care services are temporary solutions for seniors who recently went through surgery or are suffering from dementia or other hospice conditions. Family members can keep themselves relaxed while busy with office work or on vacation. In-home caregivers keep your aging parents safe and secure in the comfort of their own home.

Several home care agencies offer fundamental senior assistance on an hourly, overnight, 24-hour, and respite care basis. Their care plans include a variety of services that include personal care, hygiene, housekeeping, personal hygiene, meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders, and more. 

We, at Justin Villa Care, have a team of professionals and certified in home caregivers in Los Angeles & Orange County who will not only assist patients with several cargiving services but also provide proper assistance with dementia care, and Alzheimer’s care.

Our Approach to Home Care Services

Our overall aim is to provide the highest level of support and assistance for your loved ones, which gives you and your family greater peace of mind. Does not matter what situation you’re going through, a Justin Villa Care certified caregiver will help in creating a customized program, so we together remain on the same page in order to fulfill your seniors’ needs.

So, get help from Justin Villa Care! Contact us today to know more about our different types of in-home care services.