If you have a fiercely independent parent who’s determined to stay in their own home, live-in care could be just the ticket when it comes to care and support.
Sue’s 97-year-old mother Patricia is living with dementia. Although it’s mild, it does mean that Patricia can be extremely forgetful.
I was worried that mum would forget to close the front door
And that made Sue worry about her mum’s safety, especially as she lives 45 minutes away from Patricia.
It got to a point where Sue and her family were extremely anxious about Patricia leaving the door open, forgetting to take her tablets, neglecting to eat or wandering off along the road.
The house itself was also getting to be a worry. A three-bedroom house is a big space to keep clean and the stairs were proving a hazard.
Although Patricia had three home care visits daily, that still left large gaps in a day when there was no-one else in the house with her.
Determined not to move into a care home
Sue and her family got to the point where they were seriously considering moving Patricia into a care home. And they found one. But Patricia was so adamant that she didn’t want to move there that when the care home manager came to visit her, she was extremely belligerent. The family realised that they had to find another solution.
And what they found was live-in care. It’s essentially 24-hour homecare, with the care worker living with you in your home. You have all your possessions around you, plus your pets, and your care worker can help you stay involved in your social life.
Finding the right live-in care worker
Patricia and Sue’s experience got off to a rocky start, and it took a little while to find the right live-in care worker. But with the help of the Agincare live-in care services regional manager, they found Leticia.
Leticia lives with and cares for Patricia seven days a week for a couple of months. And then while Leticia takes a break, another care worker – Adriana, who has a very similar style to Leticia – comes and lives with Patricia. The two care workers work well together, and Sue described the pairing as ‘brilliant’.
Having professional, experienced care workers like Leticia and Adriana proving 24-hour care resolves many of the things Sue was worried about while Patricia was living alone:
- There’s always someone there to keep an eye on Patricia and make sure she is safe and the house is secure
- Leticia and Adriana make sure Patricia takes the correct medication at the right time
- By preparing meals for Patricia, Leticia and Adriana know what she’s eating, and when
And as well as helping with personal care and domestic tasks, Leticia and Adriana are fantastic companions for Patricia:
Mum is relaxed, calm and accepting of the live-in care situation. Having someone in the house all the time gives Mum the closeness and contact she needs. They paint Mum’s nails and do her hair, cook for her and take her out to look at the gardens in her local neighbourhood – which she loves. They lift her spirits.
Leticia stayed with Mum throughout Lockdown, and it was so reassuring to know she was there to look after Mum during such an uncertain time. Credit to her – she kept Mum occupied all those weeks.
I wouldn’t say it’s been an easy journey. Suddenly having someone else living in your house can be hard, and it took a while to find care workers that Mum would accept in her home. But live-in care does work – you just need to find the right person.
For more information about our live-in care service, please call us on 08082 566038 (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm).