There are many advantages and disadvantages of receiving home care and this article explores the pros and cons of home care.
At a glance
- Home care lets people stay in a familiar environment, maintain independence, and receive flexible, one-to-one support tailored to their needs.
- It can also be more affordable for part-time care and allows greater involvement from family and friends.
- However, it may provide limited medical support compared to residential settings and can require costly home adaptations.
- It can also lead to reduced social interaction and place extra pressure on family members.
Home care, involving care staff visiting your home to provide care and help with tasks, has become increasingly popular for people with disabilities, mental health issues, addictions or frailty due to old age.
Before searching for home care services, it is a good idea to consider your medical needs, home environment and financial resources. Ask you local authority for a care needs assessment, which will identify what your care needs are. For example, you may require adaptations made to your home such as a wheelchair ramp.
You should also know what financial support is available to you to finance your care. Your local authority will carry out a financial assessment to determine how much funding from your local authority you are entitled to.
What are the pros of home care?
Familiarity
- The ability to remain in a familiar environment is an advantage of home care.
- Surrounded by all your personal belongings, neighbours, friends, family and personal routines, home care can bring comfort and boost your emotional well-being.
- For someone living with dementia, who may struggle to remember things, it is important to be able to live somewhere familiar.
No need to move out and sell your home
- Choosing home care over residential care removes the worries of everything that selling your home involves. This includes what to do with all your things, estate agent fees and the emotional toll that comes with moving away from a space where you feel safe.
Flexible one-to-one attention
- Home care staff can focus only on you, providing highly customised care. You can receive flexible care depending on your needs and wishes, for example companionship services.
- Home care workers can visit you at a pre-arranged time convenient to you. You can have temporary care (for example, after leaving hospital) or longer care such as 24-hour care.
Retain lifestyle and independence
- Being at home allows you to maintain your independence and lifestyle and retain control of your daily routine.
- You can make lots of choices about your meals, activities etc. You can potentially go out wherever and whenever you wish.
- This can boost your confidence and dignity.
More family involvement
- Home care can enable greater involvement from your family and friends to visit, socialise with you and provide help with daily tasks, if they live near your home. Family can help you stay connected.
Reduced risk of infections
- Living in your own home reduces exposure to hospital-acquired infections, which can be life-threatening for those with weakened immune systems.
Your pets are allowed
- If you receive home care you can keep your personal pet with you which can be a great comfort.
- Home care staff can help you feed your pet and take them out for walks. Some care homes do not allow pets and it can be difficult to come to terms with leaving them.
You only pay for the care you need
- Your home care fees are only for the time that you are being cared for. For example, if a care worker visits you four times per week, and each visit is one hour, you will only pay for those four hours.
- If you have low-level care needs, home care is generally more affordable than other forms of care. This is particularly the case when only part-time care is required.
The average cost of home care in the UK is between £26-£38 per hour. Live-in care costs start at around £900 to £1,400 a week. But it can be as much as £2,000 per week.
In the UK, the average weekly cost of a care home if you are a self-funder is £1,298 for residential care and £1,535 for nursing care.
What are the cons of home care?
Limited medical resources
- A key disadvantage of home care is that it may not provide the same level of medical support or emergency response as a nursing home.
Need for home adaptations
- Your home may need to be adapted to suit your specific care needs, may be expensive and take time to implement. For example, retrofitting your home with handrails, wheelchair ramps or other assistive equipment to make your home safe and accessible.
Family carer burnout
- While you may be receiving home care from a home care provider, your family may still get involved in your care at other times.
- Your family members often take on care roles when you are living in your own home, which can lead to emotional and physical exhaustion. Without proper support or respite care, family carer burnout is a serious concern, which can impact on the overall quality of care you receive.
- If you have a family member caring for you at home, it can change the nature of the relationship you have with them. It can put strain on your relationship. Your husband may no longer relate to you as a partner. Similarly, a son or daughter can feel less like your child as they take on a more parental, nurse-like role.
Limited social interaction
- Staying at home may reduce your exposure to social engagement. For example, care homes have daily group activities, visiting entertainers and regular day trips out.
- If you live at home and do not go out often, perhaps because of a health condition, not seeing lots of people can lead to you feeling isolated or depressed.
FAQs
What are the pros of home care?
The key pros of home care are the ability to remain in a familiar environment with no need to move out and sell your home. Flexible one-to-one attention. Maintaining your independence and lifestyle and control of your daily routine. Greater involvement from your family and friends. Reduced exposure to hospital-acquired infections, your pets are allowed and you only pay for the care you need.
What are the cons of home care?
You have access to limited medical resources and medical support. Your home may need to be adapted to suit your specific care needs which can be costly and time-consuming. If you do not go out often, perhaps because of a health condition, not seeing lots of people can lead to you feeling isolated or depressed.
What should I do before I look for home care?
Before searching for home care services, you should get a care needs assessment, which will identify what your care needs are and what kind of support would suit you. For example, you may require adaptations made to your home such as a wheelchair ramp if you use a wheelchair). Your local authority will carry out a financial assessment to determine how much funding from your local authority you are entitled to for care services.
Find home care near you
Search for home care near you, compare costs, and read reviews from families to help you choose.
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