At The Good Care Group, we passionately advocate for the empowerment and well-being of older adults. We believe that live-in care provided by a fully regulated and managed service is truly one of the best ways to protect older adults from the uncertainties and challenges they may face in their home environment.
Learn more about how live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people from many of the risk factors typically present in and around the home.
What is live-in care?
Live-in care is when a professional carer moves into a client’s home to provide round-the-clock care and support. This arrangement allows vulnerable people to receive one-on-one care in the comfort of their own home, while also providing companionship and emotional support.
With our live-in care service, an experienced carer provides a range of services tailored to each client’s individual needs. This could include help with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and grooming, assistance with mobility and exercise, medication management, meal preparation, and light housekeeping. Anything that helps people thrive and live life their way, with dignity and choice.
Our live-in care is bespoke and tailored uniquely to each of our clients so that they can keep enjoying life as they always have. Our care is highly adaptive, evolving as needs change, but always remaining compassionate and dignified.
How live-in care protects vulnerable people
Live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people in a variety of ways.
With a dedicated team of two live-in carers on hand 24/7, your loved one will be shielded from many of the risks associated with getting older.
Here are five of the risks elderly people regularly face at home and how live-in care can help ensure they stay safe and secure.
1. Home safety
The home environment becomes more of a challenge to navigate as we get older.
Declining mobility or eyesight could increase your loved one’s risk of experiencing a fall or other type of injury. This could lead to a hospital stay or result in the emergence of a secondary health condition.
A live-in care team helps protect vulnerable older people by keeping an eye out for things such as:
- Loose carpets
- Protruding furniture
- Slippery surfaces
- Sharp objects
- Hot objects/surfaces
Any of these could result in injury. A dedicated live-in care team plays a pivotal role in safeguarding vulnerable older people by vigilantly identifying and addressing potential risks within the home environment. At The Good Care Group, we take this responsibility seriously, going above and beyond to ensure the safety and well-being of our clients.
With our own in-house occupational therapist, Jackie Cooper, we offer unparalleled expertise in identifying and mitigating potential risks within the home environment. Jackie’s specialised knowledge enables us to provide tailored solutions that enhance safety and promote independence for our clients.
Family members and other primary carers can also help protect their loved ones. Read our guide on helping older adults prevent falls to learn more.
2. Medication management
Your loved one might well have been prescribed a range of tablets and other medications. It’s likely that he or she will need to take these at different times/on different days, either with or without food/water.
Get this wrong, and your loved one could inadvertently take too much or too little of certain medications, preventing treatment from being effective and increasing the risk of side effects.
Medication mismanagement can lead to many adverse outcomes, including:
- Health deterioration
- Reduced effectiveness of treatments
- Increased risk of adverse reactions
- Hospitalisation
- Decline in quality of life
Managing this process is especially difficult when conditions affecting the memory – such as dementia – are present.
With live-in care, your loved one’s specially-trained care team will manage this process on their behalf. Our digital technology allows us to predict risk and shape the care we provide. We measure health outcomes so that we can ensure we are proactively managing medication and improving our clients’ lives, year after year.
3. Third parties
Sadly, older people are at greater risk of falling victim to fraudulent behaviour or scams.
These scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with messages and documents designed specifically to target vulnerable older people.
Such activity can come from a range of sources, including:
- Cold callers
- Unwanted home visitors
- Letters/fake documentation
Your loved one’s live-in care team will be fully trained to look out for and recognise this kind of communication proactively and then take immediate action to keep your loved one protected.
Read our detailed guide on helping older people protect against scams.
4. Unseen incidents
You can’t be on hand 24/7, so it’s difficult to know whether any incidents like falls or medical emergencies have occurred in your absence.
There are all sorts of reasons why your loved one may not report an incident – such as a fall or mini-stroke – including:
- They may hesitate to inconvenience others or worry loved ones unnecessarily.
- Feelings of embarrassment or shame could deter them from disclosing the incident.
- Cognitive impairments, such as dementia, might hinder their ability to comprehend or communicate what transpired.
- Memory lapses may cause them to forget about the incident entirely.
Despite these challenges, your loved one’s dedicated live-in care team remains vigilant and poised to address any unforeseen incidents promptly. Their presence ensures an immediate response to any emergencies, mitigating the potential consequences of unreported incidents.
Moreover, the live-in care team is a crucial liaison with emergency responders and medical professionals. They facilitate communication, provide essential information, and ensure seamless coordination in times of need. We know this offers invaluable support and reassurance to families.
5. Monitoring changing health conditions
Many medical conditions associated with ageing are degenerative, so are likely to progress over time. It can be incredibly difficult to spot slight changes in your loved one’s behaviour or condition unless you’re on hand most of the time.
A changing condition may mean your loved one faces additional risks or that the medication or care they’re currently receiving is no longer the best option for them. For instance, increased confusion in a person with dementia might warrant a review of their medication or additional support to prevent falls.
Our live-in care teams are trained to recognise changing conditions and intervene in a timely manner. They can speak to doctors regarding medication and adapt their loved one’s care plan to fit their changing needs. Although visiting carers can also proactively monitor for changes in health, they simply aren’t present enough to maintain a consistent and comprehensive oversight.
If your loved one is living with a complex or long-term health condition, learn how our specialist care service enhances their quality of life and well-being at home.
Live-in care without compromise
These are just some of the ways live-in care helps protect vulnerable older people. However, having a dedicated, comprehensively trained live-in care team looking after your loved one provides many other benefits.
With over 10 years of experience, The Good Care Group provides high-quality live-in care, keeping clients safe and happy in the comfort of their own homes while improving their overall health and well-being.
We offer highly personalised, one-to-one care that reflects individual needs, choices, wishes and social preferences, allowing clients to maintain their independence and enjoy their preferred lifestyle.
Find out more about how live-in care helps older people stay safe and protected in their own cherished homes by speaking with our friendly team. You can also learn more about our award-winning service by downloading our brochure.
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