Live-in Care: Staying Independent in Sidmouth

With 97% of us not wanting to go into a care home, Live-in Care professionals in Exeter and East Devon are in demand more now, than ever before.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people aged 65 years and over who are residing in care homes in England and Wales has dropped from 3.2% to 2.5% since 2011. With 97% of us not wanting to go into care homes, Live-in Care options are becoming a more commonplace alternative.

Due to the rising costs of residential care and the health and wellbeing implications that can come with them, Live-in Care has become a more popular form of elderly care. With 71% of us wanting to reach the end of our lives in our own homes, it is no secret that Live-in Care professionals are in demand more now than ever before.

Arthur’s Story

When it comes to care, it can be difficult to decide when the time has come to seek out some extra support for your loved ones.

In October 2023, we met with Arthur from Sidmouth, who lived with his wife Evelyn. Having been married for sixty-two years, they had hardly spent any time apart and didn’t realise how much they relied on each other to complete their day-to-day tasks.

When Evelyn was admitted to the hospital for a lengthy stay, the couple’s son, Jeremy, who resides in London, supported his dad around the house but saw his condition heavily deteriorate.  Arthur lost his confidence and found that he could no longer do the tasks that he had previously done such as preparing meals, walking the dog and remembering to take his medication on time.

Following a decline in Arthur’s mental well-being, Jeremy contacted us as he found he was under a lot of strain making the commute from London every weekend along with the guilt that he felt by not being able to always assist his dad.

Having never used a homecare provider before, he wanted to hire help from a local company with a good reputation. Jeremy was reassured by our ‘outstanding’ Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating so he opted for Home Instead.

Understandably, Arthur was reluctant to have help from our care professionals and didn’t like visitors at the best of times. Our care professionals, however, soon eased his worries with their patient and gentle approach.

Our care professionals looked after Arthur over a six-month period and encouraged him to gain back his independence. Over time he started to increase his confidence and was helping with the cooking, going out on dog walks and doing the laundry. Arthur now no longer needs Live-in Care, and his wife has returned from the hospital, having made a recovery. We have now changed his care plan to just a couple of hours a week for companionship purposes and trips out and about.

The Benefits of Live-in Care

  • The fully flexible packages that we offer here at Home Instead Exeter and East Devon, can offer our clients a range of options when it comes to care. One size does not fit all when it comes to Home Care so our trained Live-in Care Professionals can deliver short-term, long-term, or specialist care e.g. helping someone with dementia.
  • Maintaining familiarity by allowing the client to stay in their own home allows for minimum disruption to their lives and can have a positive impact on their health and well-being. Their daily routine can continue, and they can have visits from friends and family whenever they like. They can also continue to care for their beloved pets, who would have been unable to go into a residential home with them.
  • The freedom of choice Live-in Care can offer is unmatched and is all about adapting to the routine of the client and giving them the option to do what they like doing.
  • One-to-one support from care professionals allows our clients to gain trust in them and ensures that the time they spend together is quality time.

What Sets Home Instead Apart from Other Care Providers?

Unlike other care providers, we are based locally in East Devon with a local support team who are available 24/7 to support our clients and care professionals. All our clients have a dedicated local Care Manager to assist them.

Home Instead Exeter and East Devon are proud to be the only homecare provider in the southwest region to have been rated ‘outstanding’ in all areas of inspection by the CQC. Alongside this, we have also won the ‘five-star employer in care’ award for eight years running.

Our team would love to hear from you if you would like to know more about our services or are interested in becoming a Live-in Care professional and would like to reap the benefits of such a rewarding role. Please don’t hesitate to contact our dedicated home care consultants on 01395 200600 or email [email protected].

Names have been changed to protect anonymity.