When an older relative needs more support, one of the first questions families ask is whether they should move into a care home or stay at home with carers visiting. There is no single right answer. It depends on the person, their health, their home and what matters most to them.
This guide sets out the main differences to help you have that conversation.
What is home care?
Home care (also called domiciliary care) means trained carers visiting someone in their own home to help with everyday life. Visits can be as short as half an hour or much longer, once a week or several times a day. Support can include washing and dressing, medication reminders, meals, housework, shopping and companionship.
What is a care home?
A care home provides a room, meals and care around the clock in a residential setting. Some care homes also provide nursing care, with registered nurses on site.
Independence and familiar surroundings
For most people, the biggest advantage of home care is staying in a place they know and love: their own chair, their own garden, their neighbours, their pets and their routines. This can be especially important for someone living with dementia, where familiar surroundings can reduce confusion and distress.
In a care home, routines are shared and some choices are made for the whole home, such as meal times. Some people enjoy the company and the structure; others find the change difficult.
Level of need
Home care works well for people who need help with particular parts of the day, such as getting up, meals and getting ready for bed. Many people with significant needs live safely at home with the right package of visits.
A care home may be the better choice if someone needs help at unpredictable times throughout the day and night, if they are at risk when alone, or if their home cannot be adapted to keep them safe.
Cost
Home care is paid for by the hour, so the cost depends on how much support is needed. For someone who needs a few visits a day, it is usually less than a care home place. As needs grow towards round-the-clock support, the comparison changes.
In either case, the local council can carry out a needs assessment and a financial assessment. Benefits such as Attendance Allowance can help with costs, and are not means-tested.
Family life
Home care lets family members visit whenever they like, in the person’s own home, and keep doing the things they enjoy together, while carers take on the tasks that have become a strain. It can also give family carers a much-needed break.
Social contact
Loneliness is a real concern for older people living alone. Good home care includes time to chat, and companionship visits can include outings, hobbies and trips into town. A care home offers company on site, which some people value greatly.
Questions to ask yourselves
- What does the person want? Their wishes should come first.
- Which parts of the day are hardest, and could visits cover them?
- Is the home safe, or could it be made safe with simple changes?
- Are they at risk if left alone overnight?
- How much can family members realistically help, without burning out?
Trying home care first
Many families find that starting with a small amount of home care, perhaps a few visits a week, is a good way to see how much difference it makes. Visits can be increased as needs change.
Talk to a local team
Here to Care provides home care across Saffron Walden and the surrounding villages, seven days a week between 7am and 10pm. We offer personal care, dementia care, end of life care and companionship and home help, and we are rated Good by the Care Quality Commission.
If you are weighing up the options, call us on 01799 218190 for an honest conversation about whether home care could work.
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