How to Prepare for a Live-in Caretaker?
Have you decided to hire a professional live-in caretaker for a loved one in your life? Bravo! You have completed the first step. Now it’s high time, to learn how to prepare for a live-in caretaker. Find out the cost of live-in care and how to prepare your home for the arrival of a live-in carer to speed up the assimilation process and expedite their delivery of professional services to the senior in your life.
How to mentally prepare a senior for the arrival of a live-in caretaker?
The first step in preparing for the arrival of professional live-in carers in the home or flat of a senior close to you is to have a frank conversation with that person. Therefore, before you approach one of the live-in care agencies to find the right person, talk to your senior first.
How do you have this conversation and convince the seniors that they need live-in care services? Such a conversation is not easy, so be patient and calm. During the conversation, you should calmly explain to the elderly person why they require such assistance and what the advantages of using live-in care services are. Tell the senior about the benefits of live-in carers, and focus less on the reasons for employing them, i.e. the senior’s shortcomings and limitations.
It is also a good idea to give the senior the freedom to choose such a person, to go with them to one of the live-in care agencies and to ask about any requirements and preferences of the senior so that they feel needed and part of the process.
How to prepare a home for the arrival of a live-in caretaker?
Once the senior has been convinced and prepared for the arrival of the live-in caretaker, one should think about practical matters, i.e. preparing the flat or house. What is worth bearing in mind before using live-in care services? Here are the most important points on the subject.
Room
The live-in caretaker should have a separate and equipped room in the senior’s home or flat. Such a room does not have to be luxurious, but it should be clean, renovated and perfectly practical. What should be included in a live-in caretaker’s room? Basic items such as a bed, mattress, chair, wardrobe, armchair and chest of drawers, as well as decoration items, but these are optional.
Kitchen and bathroom
You do not need to specifically prepare your kitchen and bathroom before your live-in caretaker arrives. However, you should make sure that the live-in caretaker has free access to them and that these rooms are clean. Also, do not forget all the necessary equipment such as pots and pans, plates and household appliances.
WiFi
Nowadays, most UK homes and flats have internet access, but if your senior doesn’t use the web, consider arranging WiFi for the carer. This will improve the comfort of their lives and the safety of the senior in case of accidents.
How to prepare financially for the arrival of a live-in caretaker?
Before a live-in carer for the elderly arrives on their doorstep, think carefully about the financial issues. How much is the cost of live-in care? The cost of live-in care can vary between £1950 and £2,700 per month. This is no small amount of money, so analyse your financial possibilities well before hiring the person and ideally set aside a suitable amount for two or three months. It is the best solution because explaining to an elderly person that they have to give up the support they have become attached to will be very difficult for both of you.
The arrival of the live-in caretaker – what information to provide?
When the professional caregiver arrives at the senior’s home, you need to ensure that this person has access to all the most important information about the senior’s health and habits, as well as practical matters such as house rules. It is best to prepare a list of everything on a piece of paper so that the professional has access to this. What information should you include in this way? The list should include the senior’s daily routine, the caregiver’s duties, numbers for doctors and emergency contacts as well as yourself, information about medications taken, allergies, dietary requirements and any other relevant and helpful information. Once you have completed this, you can consider yourself ready to hire a live-in caretaker!
