What are the types of home care for elderly people?

Making decisions about senior care can be daunting, especially when you want the best for your loved one. Understanding the different types of home care on offer for elderly people, and knowing what support is available, can make the journey clearer and less overwhelming. Tiggo Care is here to guide you through the various care services designed to help your loved one continue living independently.

Many people find that home care services offer an ideal balance, providing much needed extra support while allowing their loved ones to remain in familiar surroundings. This approach enables greater independence and can significantly enhance quality of life. Whether your loved one needs help for a few hours a day, more intensive live-in care, or specialised support for specific health conditions, there’s a type of care available for each and every unique need.

Why choose home care for elderly people?

Home care offers a host of benefits. The most significant of which is that it allows your loved one to remain in their own home.

Home care offers a truly personalised, holistic approach. Unlike residential care settings, which often have more standardised schedules, care at home is built around your loved one’s specific needs and preferences. A fully trained carer can provide one-to-one attention, focusing solely on your loved one’s requirements.

Adult day care services can range from help with personal hygiene and mobility support, to companionship and assistance with everyday tasks. This bespoke service ensures that your loved one receives the right level of extra support exactly when they need it, helping them to continue living independently for as long as possible.

Home Care Visits

Home care visits, often referred to as domiciliary care, are a flexible way to access support for your loved one. This type of in-home care for elderly individuals involves a paid carer visiting your loved one’s own home for set periods.

These visits can last up to several hours, and can occur as frequently as needed – even multiple times per day. It’s an excellent option if your loved one needs regular assistance with specific daily tasks but doesn’t require round-the-clock attention.

During these visits, a carer can help with a wide variety of activities. This might include:

• Assistance with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and toileting.
• Help with medication routines, making sure your loved one takes their prescribed medicines correctly.
• Support to prepare meals, ensuring they have nutritious food.
• Light domestic tasks like cleaning, laundry, or shopping.
• Companionship care, offering a friendly face and the chance to chat.
• Assistance attending medical appointments or social outings.

The goal of domiciliary care is to help your loved one manage their daily living comfortably and safely in their own surroundings. Tiggo Care ensures that the regular carer assigned is a good match for your loved one, leading to a trusting and comfortable relationship. 

Night Care

As we age, nighttime can sometimes bring anxieties or increased care needs. Night care, or overnight care, is a specialised type of in-home care for elderly people designed to provide peace of mind and practical support throughout the night.

It can be particularly beneficial for those who are prone to falls, have conditions that require monitoring, or experience confusion or agitation during the night – such as some people with Alzheimer's disease.

There are generally two types of overnight care:

Waking night care

A fully trained carer will remain awake and alert with your loved one throughout the night. They are on hand to provide any necessary personal care, assist with trips to the toilet, reposition your loved one in bed to prevent discomfort if they have limited mobility, or simply offer comfort and reassurance. This is ideal for people who require frequent attention during the night.

Sleeping night care

In this arrangement, the carer sleeps in a separate room at your loved one’s home, meaning they are there to provide support if an emergency arises or if they are called upon. This option is beneficial for those who don’t need constant supervision, but may require assistance unpredictably during the night. It offers the reassurance that someone is there, just in case.

Choosing night care means that you can also rest easier, knowing that your loved one is not alone and is being looked after by a professional. Tiggo Care’s overnight care service provides that vital additional support to ensure safety and comfort through the night.

Live-in Care

For those who require more comprehensive and continuous support, live-in care is an excellent option. This service involves a fully trained carer, often referred to as a live-in carer, moving into your loved one’s own home to provide round-the-clock assistance and companionship.

It’s a great alternative to moving into a residential care facility, allowing your loved one to remain in the environment they feel most comfortable in, surrounded by their personal belongings and memories. 

A live-in carer can help with a wide range of needs, including:

• All aspects of personal care – from morning routines to evening preparation for bed.
• Managing medication and liaising with GPs or other healthcare professionals if needed.
• Cooking meals and ensuring a balanced diet, catering to any specific dietary requirements.
• Undertaking household chores such as cleaning, laundry, and shopping.
• Providing essential companionship and care, getting involved in hobbies, and accompanying your loved one on outings or to appointments.
• Offering mobility support around the home.
• Assisting with any prescribed physiotherapy exercises.

It’s particularly helpful for people with significant health conditions, those recovering from an illness or hospital stay, or people with dementia care needs who benefit greatly from consistency and a familiar setting.

Tiggo Care carefully matches a live-in carer to your loved one’s personality and needs, so they can build a comfortable and trusted relationship. This type of home care helps people to continue living independently with a high level of support.

Respite Care

We know that caring for a loved one can be tough. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, or just need a little time to yourself, respite care is designed to give you a well-deserved break. This type of in-home care provides temporary support for your loved one, so you can rest easy knowing they’re safe, comforted and cared for.

This break could be for a few hours, a few days, or even a few weeks, allowing you to rest, recharge, or attend to other commitments. Respite care can be provided in various ways:

• A carer can come to your loved one’s own home to take over care duties.
• It can cover periods when you might want to go on holiday or need to recover from an illness.
• It can provide extra support during particularly challenging times.

Respite care allows primary family members or carers to get a restful night’s sleep, helps prevent burnout, reduces stress, and allows for a better balance in life. For your loved one, it can offer a change of routine, a new friendly face, and continued expert support.

Tiggo Care understands the importance of these breaks, and our fully trained care professionals are on hand to step in at any time. We know how vital it is to maintain routine and follow established care plans, so we’ll always ensure our support is guided by your loved one’s specific needs.

Post-Operative Care

Recovering from surgery can be challenging, especially for elderly people. Post-operative care at home is a specialised type of home care designed to provide support in the crucial recovery period following a hospital stay. While our carers can’t perform nursing care tasks like changing complex dressings, they can provide care and comfort, monitoring wound sites for any signs of infection and reporting concerns to you or the GP.

The aim is to help your loved one heal comfortably and safely in their own home. Post-operative care reduces the risk of complications, helping people get back to their normal daily routines quickly.

A carer can provide a range of post-operative care services, including:

• Assisting with personal care. This is especially helpful if mobility is restricted after surgery.
• Monitoring for any signs of infection or complications, and getting in contact with your GP for advice if necessary.
• Ensuring your loved one takes their prescribed medication. 
• Helping with mobility support, such as gentle exercises recommended by a physiotherapist.
• Preparing nutritious meals to aid recovery.
• Taking care of light household tasks, so your loved one can focus on resting.
• Providing emotional support and companionship during what can be an anxious time.

This additional support is particularly beneficial for elderly people who live alone, those whose family members may not be able to provide the intensive care needed, or those who simply need an expert hand to help get them back on their feet.

Tiggo Care works closely with you and your loved one to create a tailored care plan that addresses their specific post-operative needs, helping them recover with confidence. This can sometimes involve working alongside occupational therapists to provide home adaptations advice.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is a specialised and compassionate type of home care for elderly people facing a life-limiting illness. The primary focus of palliative care is to maximise the quality of life for your loved one by providing comfort, managing pain and other distressing symptoms, and offering emotional and spiritual support. It aims to ensure that your loved one can live as fully and comfortably as possible in their own home, surrounded by familiarity and the people they love.

‍Tiggo Care’s palliative care service is delivered by fully trained care professionals who understand how difficult this time can be.They work closely with your loved one, family members, GPs, and other healthcare professionals – such as community palliative teams or local hospices – to provide specialist care, bring comfort, and protect dignity. This includes:

• Management of pain and other symptoms, in line with medical advice.
• Assistance with personal care with the utmost dignity and respect.
• Emotional support for both your loved one and their loved ones.
• Practical help with daily tasks to ensure comfort.
• Companionship, a friendly face, and a reassuring presence.

Choosing palliative care at home allows your loved one to remain in the place where they feel most secure and comfortable during a very difficult time. We believe that everyone deserves to live as well as possible, for as long as possible, and our care experts work diligently to make that a reality. 

Condition-Led Care

Many elderly people live with specific health conditions that require tailored support and understanding. Condition-led care is a type of home care for elderly people that provides specialised assistance for conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke recovery, arthritis, or diabetes.

The type of care offered varies from condition to condition, ensuring that your loved one’s specific needs are not only met, but prioritised. 

This might involve:

• For dementia care: Creating a calm and consistent environment, using memory aids, engaging in stimulating activities, and managing behavioural changes with patience and empathy.
• For mobility issues (e.g., arthritis, or post-stroke): Providing mobility support, assisting with exercises prescribed by physiotherapists, and ensuring the home environment is safe.
• For conditions requiring careful monitoring (e.g., diabetes): Assisting with keeping to dietary plans (as advised by dieticians or doctors), and medication routines.

Conclusion

Navigating the various types of home care for elderly people can feel complex, but by understanding the options available, you can make the best possible choice for your loved one. From flexible domiciliary care visits to reassuring overnight care, comprehensive live-in care to specialised support like palliative care or dementia care, there’s a solution designed to give your loved one comfort, reassurance, and the ability to remain in their own home.

At Tiggo Care, we’re committed to providing compassionate and person-centred care at home. Our fully trained carer teams are dedicated to supporting your loved one with their daily tasks, personal hygiene, and companionship.

We believe in a holistic approach, working with family members to create a care plan that truly reflects the needs and wishes of the person receiving care. If you are considering types of in-home care for elderly people, or have any questions, please get in touch with our team to discuss how we can best support you or your loved one.