- What is live-in care?
Live-in care is a popular alternative to care homes. Curam’s experienced live-in carers provide specialist 24-hour support throughout the UK.
Our live-in carers support each individual to live independently, maintain routines and, most importantly, remain in the comfort of their own home.
- How does live-in care work?
Your choice of carer will live in your home, typically for weekly shifts, on a rota with another carer. They will be on hand to cater to your needs, and keep you comfortable and independent.
Most live-in carers will expect a break of 2 hours during the day. This, and other stipulations such as mobile phone use as well as additional expenses, such as travel and food, can be noted in the service agreement.
- What does a live-in carer do?
A live-in carer will live in the home of the person needing care and fulfil the tasks agreed in the service agreement.
This will vary according to your needs but typically will include:
- Personal care such as washing, dressing and continence care
- Prompting to take prescribed medicines
- General domestic duties, including laundry, light cleaning, gardening and admin tasks
- Help with cooking and meal preparation
- Preventing falls and accidents in the home
- Companionship and help with social interaction
- Any specialist care, according to your needs
- How much does live-in home care cost?
Our self-employed carers set their own rates on the Curam platform. The cost of live-in care is often determined by the level of care required and the number of people needing care. These rates can vary according to the carer’s experience and qualifications.
The average live-in care rate charged on Curam is £880 per week, with rates starting at £750 a week. These rates include the Curam fee of £12.5% + VAT and many carers are willing to negotiate.
- Why choose live-in care?
Live-in care is a much more attractive and, in many cases, more economical alternative to a care home, giving you independence and the security of having your carer on hand.
Some benefits of live-in care are: you remain in your own home, keep up contact with family, friends and your community, and have help, if needed, with your beloved pets. Curam carers provide great continuity of care and our website gives you choice over who is providing it.
- Can I get funding for live-in care?
Yes, you can often get funding to help pay for live-in care. There are three steps that you can follow to ensure that you receive all the money to which you are entitled.
If, after following these steps you still have difficulty funding your own care, you may consider other options such as Equity Release
- What are the types of live-in care?
Carers on the Curam platform provide many different kinds of live-in care:
- Ongoing care on a rota with other carers
- Respite care for you, or while your regular carer goes on holiday
- Last-minute live-in care in case of cancellation or sickness
- Palliative and any other specialist care type needed
- How many hours does a live-in carer work?
A live-in carer generally works between 8-10 hours per day, with a 2-hour break every day. The specific hours a live-in carer works can vary and should be noted in your service agreement. Live-in carers normally provide 'sleeping night' care.
- Is live-in home care cheaper than a care home / nursing home?
This depends on the complexity of the care and the rate charged by the carer, but generally yes, live in care is cheaper than a care home. The average live-in rate charged by carers on the Curam platform is £880 per week, which includes our fee of 12.5% + VAT.
- How to choose a live-in carer?
To arrange live-in care on the Curam platform, you can filter by care type, condition experience, languages spoken and more in your search for a carer. If you see a particular carer that fits your criteria, send them a message asking their availability and outlining your care needs.
Alternatively, you can tell us your care requirements and carers that fit those needs will apply to your Curam account. We recommend that you call or meet your carer of choice before contracting with them. Click here for some advice on interviewing a carer
- Can I find a live-in carer at the last minute?
Yes, you can. The quickest and most efficient way to do so is by telling us your care requirements. You can view applicants in your Curam account under ‘your job posts’. From there, you can send them a message to organise last-minute care.
Please note that Curam does not provide managed care, as this is not consistent with both the client and the carer having choice and control.
- How do I pay the carer for live-in care?
You pay for live-in care though a secure payment system on our app or website. Your carer of choice will create a service agreement and shift invoice which will automatically be sent to your Curam account for your approval. Once you have approved these, you will be taken to the payment portal. Your payment is held securely until the shift is completed and is then released to the carer 2 working days after the end of the shift minus our fee.
Off-platform and cash payments are not accepted and are liable to a placement fee of £2000. Please see our terms and conditions for more information, specifically point 9.3.
