In a climate of rising living costs, well-publicised shortages in social care provisions, and the often unviable cost of a residential care facility, home care offers an accessible, flexible alternative to other services.
Here, we’re talking about home care costs, why the level of care is always adjusted according to the needs of each person or family, and how our dedicated care teams ensure care is convenient, affordable and protects the well-being, happiness and independence of the individuals we support.
Understanding How Home Care Works in Comparison to a Care Home
Let’s start with a brief recap of how home care works and why it is often a desirable option for people who want to remain in their own home or believe that either the nature of a care home or cost of self-funding a nursing home isn’t the right fit for them.
Alongside the financial implications, making decisions about care can be emotional and complex, and we often speak with families about:
- The difficulties of leaving a family home, moving away from a partner, or feeling obligated to sell a property to pay for residential care home fees.
- The value of independence, familiarity, and remaining at home with pets, furnishings, mementoes and comforts that hold sentimental value.
- The challenges that living alone may pose, where adults in older age or with health conditions find tasks like shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry increasingly demanding, or end up making sacrifices around their comfort due to fatigue, limited mobility, or frailty.
Of course, a care home is the right option for some, particularly if a person would feel more secure living in a residential care facility.
Still, for many others, the prospect of moving permanently into a care home is daunting at best, and for those with cognitive conditions, the potential upheaval and confusion may need to be carefully considered.
Home care covers a huge range of services, but the basics are that qualified, professional, and warm carers regulated by the Care Quality Commission deliver care similar to that you might expect in a centre but in your own home. That might look like visiting care for a few hours or days a week, specialist, overnight, or live-in care.
Managing the Cost of Care at Home
Onto the costs, and if, like most, you need to ensure that your care is manageable within your budget and that you claim all the benefits you or your loved one is entitled to, the care managers at each Guardian Angel Carers branch is on hand to help.
We assist families across all of our territories and appreciate the importance of transparency and open conversations about the costs of care.
One of the unique aspects of home care is that it is wholly based on your needs, wishes, preferences, and requirements. Unlike a residential home, which charges a fixed amount per week or month or a set rate depending on whether the care recipient needs nursing or general care, home care is bespoke and based on collaborative care planning.
No two families are the same, and although the hourly or weekly costs of care might be consistent between two people requiring a similar degree of support, the specifics of the care we organise can vary considerably.
How Flexible Home-Based Care Helps With Financial Planning
In terms of budgeting, the personalised structure home care provides is incredibly beneficial because you can pick and choose how and where our fantastic CareAngels provide support, with options to:
- Schedule a familiar carer who attends the home at the same time every day, pops in for an hour or two several times a week on pre-agreed days, or who looks after the care and comfort of the person all day.
- Organise respite care that slots around the days and times family caregivers or partners are on hand, either to ensure they have the space and time to take breaks and rest or to provide wraparound care without unnecessary pressure on familial caregivers.
- Request urgent support when required. Our care teams will endeavour to be responsive and provide visiting or overnight care when a person is feeling unwell, recovering from a condition or hospital stay, or needs an extra amount of support on a temporary basis.
Families also stay in regular contact with their local Guardian Angel Carers team and can request an updated needs assessment or chat about changing their regular visits as needed.
If they need extra help or additional hours of home care, would like to transition to overnight care, or want to learn about live-in care costs, a team of carers is already in place who can offer input and guidance to manage ongoing or progressive conditions and care requirements.
Local agencies are here to support both the care recipient and the wider family and have the flexibility and autonomy to adapt, whether you’d like light-touch care, visiting care as a backup, or general companionship care when a loved one is alone.
Claiming Financial Support to Assist With Home Care Costs
Finally, we’ll advise if we feel an individual could claim financial assistance towards their home care or if they need to increase the scope of care and would benefit from help covering this additional cost.
First and foremost, a home care recipient is never expected to sell their home, nor will we ever suggest a person who is comfortable and happy at home consider doing so.
Although there are scenarios where the value of your property is included in means testing, and it may be sold to pay for care home costs, this does not apply to home care and is only relevant when the local authority assesses the assets and savings you have to pay for your care in a home. For home care recipients:
- The Attendance Allowance might provide you with a weekly payment towards personal support costs, or the Personal Independence Payment may apply to those under State Pension Age.
- You may be able to claim funding support such as Pension Credits, disability benefits and the Winter Fuel Allowance.
- The local council might contribute, although this tends to be subject to means testing and a care needs assessment process.
- Support could also be available through the NHS Continuing Healthcare programme in certain circumstances.
If you require home care to assist with a medical need or healthcare condition, Guardian Angel Carers care managers will be happy to signpost you to the local services, touchpoints, or applications to help you explore these options further.