Does your loved one need help around the clock? This is a very common need for people with cognitive issues like dementia or need help with assisted daily livings around the clock. I’m Chris Mihm, and today we’re going to talk about liv-in care, the benefits, and the requirements.
What is live in care?
Live-in care is 24 hour around the clock care, so we will provide a caregiver that actually stays in the home 24 hours. They’ll sleep during the night, and we will rotate caregivers in and out on a weekly basis.
Who is live-in care for?
Live-in care is for somebody that might be experiencing dementia. They might have sundowning, where they’re actually confusing daytime and nighttime. It’s for somebody that’s not independent and they need constant supervision around the clock. And they may be immobile and need help with transfers and getting around the home.
What is included with live-in care?
Our caregivers are going to provide three meals a day. They’re going to help with medications, whether it’s administration or reminders. They can help with lighthouse keeping, laundry, dishes, things of that nature. And they can also help with personal cares, bathing, toileting, and tasks such as grocery shopping, taking somebody out for exercise, and very importantly, companionship as well. Our caregiver is going to be there throughout the day, making sure that your loved one is safe by supporting them with their activities of daily living and all other tasks that are necessary.
What are the benefits of live-in care?
Consistency of caregivers is at the top of the list. So instead of having multiple caregivers come to your house throughout the day, you’ll have a caregiver that’s living in the home, generally on a basis where it’s a week at a time. And then another caregiver will come in to replace them. So your loved one will get very familiar with the caregivers that are providing the care to them in the home. With live-in care, your loved one will be ensured that their safety is our top priority. We do this through our fall prevention program, making sure that they get their meals on time, making sure that their medications are administered at the correct times.
Another benefit of having a caregiver present is that they’re going to be able to identify something is off with your loved one For example, we’ve had situations where a client might have had a urinary tract infection, and it was identified by a caregiver that they knew something was different with the client
Another example of a very successful situation with live-in care We had a client that was on hospice with COPD. She ended up living for four years additional, and there’s no way that that would have happened without that constant care around the clock by our caregiving team. No one in the family actually expected her to live that long, and it’s a great testament to the benefits of live-in care.
With Live and Care being a unique product, there are a couple of requirements that come into play. The main requirement that sets live in care apart is that the caregiver has to be able to get sleep during the night. So that requires that your house is set up with a separate bedroom and bathroom for the caregiver. The caregiver must be able to get eight hours of sleep a night. Five of the hours must be uninterrupted sleep. So an example, if somebody is going to get up during the night five times, they would not be an ideal candidate for live-in care. So if a client is getting up multiple times during the night, they’re going to be more of a candidate for 24 hourly care.
