Why You Should Choose 24-Hour Home Care Over Live-In Care
Written by:
Jeffrey Grossman
Published:
February 15, 2021
If you’re an adult child with aging parents, you may not be able to provide the hands-on 24-hour care your loved ones need. If you are the primary caregiver providing around-the-clock care for your parents, you may feel tired or burned out.
The good news is that there’s access to excellent 24-hour home care in Richmond, VA for your elderly parents. However, many people don’t know the difference between live-in home care and 24-hour home care.Are you an adult child with parents who need care day and night? Do you know the difference between live-in care and 24-hour care? Are you wondering what resources are available for 24-hour senior home care?Keep reading to learn more about the difference between 24-hour home care and 24-hour live-in care and how you can get the best 24-hour home care in Richmond, VA.
24-Hour Home Care vs. Live-In Care
There are two options for 24-hour care for the elderly: live-in care and 24-hour home care. They have some similarities but differ on whether or not the caregiver can sleep during their shift. Here’s some information about live-in care and 24-hour home care to help you understand the differences.
Live-In Care
Live-in care is precisely what it sounds like—your parents have a caregiver living with them at their place of residence. However, a 24-hour live-in caregiver must have a place to sleep and be allowed eight hours of sleep per day.With live-in home care, your parent has “24-hour” care, but it’s only 16 hours of direct, hands-on care.
24-Hour Home Care
24-hour home care is also called full-time home care, around-the-clock care, or overnight care. Like live-in home care, full-time care provides your parents with a caregiver for 24-hours at their place of residence. The difference between 24-hour home care and live-in care is that a 24-hour home caregiver cannot sleep. Instead, around-the-clock caregivers for seniors work in 8- or 12-hour shifts. This allows caregivers to stay alert on the job. With overnight care, your parents will receive direct, hands-on care throughout the day and night. Having a caregiver that’s awake and alert 24-hours per day is a top reason to choose 24-hour home care over live-in home care.
Does My Parent Need 24-Hour Home Care?
Unless you’re the primary caregiver for your elderly parents, it can be challenging to know if your parent needs full-time care. Here are some signs that your parent might benefit from 24-hour home care:
Difficulty walking on their own
Incontinence
Recently had a surgery
Has dementia, Alzheimer’s, or some other mental condition
If your parent exhibits any of these conditions, around-the-clock care will be beneficial. 24-hour senior home care gives you peace of mind that your parents have expert care during the day and night.
The Benefits of Full-Time Home Care
If you decide to move forward with around-the-clock care for your parents, here are some of the top benefits it will provide for them.
1. Allows Parents to Age in Place
A recent AARP survey found that three out of four seniors aged 50+ want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. However, aging at home can be challenging for elderly parents to maintain if they struggle with daily life tasks. One of the best ways to make aging at home a reality for your parents as they age is through in-home care.Full-time care will allow your parents to comfortably age in their own home instead of a nursing home or living facility. A 24-hour in-home caregiver can make sure your parents have help with activities of daily living (ADLs) all day long.
2. Provides Care at Night
Nighttime hours can be incredibly challenging for aging seniors. A full-time elder caregiver is an excellent resource for keeping an eye on your parents during the night hours.Decreased mobility can lead your parents to experience incontinence or frequent falls. A 24-hour in-home caregiver is awake and ready to help them get out of bed, safely move to the bathroom, and assist with toileting. If your parent is mobile but uses a walker, the caregiver can remind your parent to use their walking device and bring it to them.If your parent has dementia, an overnight caregiver can be especially helpful. Elderly adults with dementia can often wake up confused. A 24-hour home caregiver will be by your parents’ side to help reorient them. Dementia can also cause parents to wander or get lost. For elderly parents who are prone to wander, a caregiver will be with them 24-hours a day to ensure their safety.
3. Implement Expert Care Management Services
We want our parents to stay healthy, but sometimes things suddenly change in their condition. 24-hour in-home care allows care managers and caregivers to make real-time adjustments as new situations or medical needs arise.When caregivers spend time with your parents continually, they can make observations about mobility, memory changes, or new medical needs. Full-time caregivers can quickly relay new information to care managers for optimal on-going care. Whatever situations may arise, 24-hour in-home care provides caregivers the ability to make quick pivots and changes to maintain excellent care for your parents.
How to Get 24-Hour Home Care in Richmond, VA
Live-in care and 24-hour home care provide elderly parents with the opportunity to age at home, but only full-time home care gives your parents access to hands-on care at all hours of the day.A 24-hour in-home caregiver can provide your aging loved ones with the ability to comfortably age in place. Full-time caregivers will help with daytime and nighttime tasks giving you and your parents peace of mind 24-hours per day. At Commonwise Home Care, we provide families with premium 24-hour home-care in Richmond, VA. We pride ourselves on our expert staff of highly-trained Care Managers and Caregivers. Care Managers will take time to talk with you about your parents and create a personalized care plan. Caregivers will compassionately and professionally implement this plan in person. If any new developments arise, our Care Managers and Caregivers will work together with you to make necessary adjustments.Are you ready to provide your aging family members with the 24-hour home care they need? Contact us to talk with our Care Team and find out how 24-hour senior home care can benefit you and your parents.