Live-in Care Vs. 24-Hour Care

What's the Difference?

Private Elderly Caregivers Assisting Senior at Home

Continuous Care Options

If you are considering round-the-clock care for a loved one, there are two options available to you; 24-hour care and live-in care. Although these terms appear to be synonymous, home care providers deliver these services very differently to care recipients. Having a clear understanding of how caregiver schedules are structured will help you make a more informed decision about which type of care to choose. It's important to consult your loved one's physician as their expertise is indispensable when evaluating continuous care. They manage your loved one's health and will know which service is best. At Caring for Seniors, we offer both 24-hour and live-in care services, so we can provide the kind of support that most effectively caters to your loved one's needs.

What is Live-in Care?

Live-in care means that one caregiver remains in the care recipient's home for the duration of their shift. Separate sleeping quarters and a bed must be available for the caregiver to take rest breaks. With live-in care, we schedule one caregiver over a four-day period and another for the remaining three days. That means that two caregivers interact with your loved one weekly. Some home care providers schedule one caregiver over a 5-day period and another for the 2 days. There is a misconception that live-in caregivers are on duty 24-hours a day, that is simply not the case. In Ontario, live-in caregivers get a mandatory eight-hour sleep break during a 24-hour shift. In addition, they are entitled to a 4-hour break during the day and are allowed to leave the home if they choose. So typically, a live-in caregiver is on duty for 12-hours. If not having coverage during the 4-hour break period in the day is a concern, we can provide another caregiver to cover those hours. When your are billed for live-in care, a day rate is used which differs from 24-hour care which is billed hourly. If you decide to have coverage during the day break period, that time would be billed hourly.

Live-in Care Services

• 1 caregiver over 4 days (Mon- Thu)

• 1 caregiver over 3 days (Fri - Sun)

• 2 caregivers scheduled over 7 days

• 8-hour sleep breaks

• 4-hour daytime breaks

Advantages 

• Only one caregiver daily.

• Less costly than 24-hour care

Disadvantages 

• No coverage 8 hours overnight

• No coverage 4 hours daily

• Sleeping quarters & bed required

When individuals do not require support at night and can also be independent for a few hours during the day, live-in care is an excellent option. It is less expensive than 24-hour care and provides your loved one with the comfort of knowing that there is someone else with them in the home.

 

What is 24-Hour Care?

With 24-hour care services, we assign two caregivers to support your loved one over a 24-hour period. One caregiver assists them for 12 hours during the day and the other for 12 hours at night. There are no rest periods for caregivers with 24-hour care. This is the most significant difference between 24-hour care and live-in care. Live-in caregivers are entitled to an 8-hour sleep break and a 4-hour break during the day. With 24-hour care, there is always an alert caregiver ready to handle situations and emergencies. If you choose, you can use your discretion and allow the night caregiver some time for a sleep break. In a typical week, caregivers can work a maximum of four, 12-hour shifts or forty-eight hours. So our agency would arrange for two caregivers to cover four days a week and two additional caregivers for the remaining three days. Consistency of care is important to us, so we do our best to schedule the same four caregivers weekly. 24-hour home care services are billed hourly.

24-Hour Care

• 2 caregivers over 4 days (Mon - Thu)

• 2 caregivers over 3 days (Fri - Sun)

• 4 caregivers scheduled over a 7-days

• No caregiver sleep breaks

• Services are billed hourly

Advantages 

• Caregivers support 24/7

• Sleeping quarters and bed not required

Disadvantages 

• 2 caregivers interact with the client.

• Costs more than live-in care.

24-hour care benefits people that need intermittent assistance at night as well as throughout the day. It is also a necessity in situations when an individual's health condition requires constant monitoring and supervision. It ensures that they have a caregiver available to provide assistance at any time of the day or night.

For more information about 24-hour or live-in care, contact us.

 

Caring for Seniors
Live-in Care
Home Health Care Services
Live-in Care
Caring for Seniors in Dufferin
Caring for Seniors in Dufferin Inc., Telephone No.833-779-2273
Alliston, Brampton, Caledon, Erin, Fergus, Dufferin County, Guelph. New Tecumseth, Milton, Newmarket
Aurora, Alliston, Brampton, Bradford, Caledon, Centre Wellington, Dufferin County, Erin, Guelph, Halton Hills, Milton, Newmarket, Oakville, Orangeville, Shelburne, Vaughan
At Caring for Seniors in Dufferin, we assist individuals in any setting someone calls home. Our certified PSW caregivers help people of all ages with the activities of daily living (ADL's) so that they can maintain their normal routines safely and in comfort. We provide hourly and 24-hour home care services for seniors and hospital-to-home transitioning assistance. We care for seniors in hospital, retirement, nursing and long-term care homes. For more information, call (519) 943-6162 Orangeville.
We provide live-in care & 24-hour care services.