24/7 Live-In Care in Birmingham

What is live-in care?

Live-in care means a trained carer moves into the home and lives there, providing support through the day and sleeping overnight in their own room. It is an alternative to moving into a care home, and it lets someone stay in familiar surroundings with their own routine, their own bed and, where there is one, their pet.

Izzy Care Solutions provides live-in care across Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Telford and the wider West Midlands. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission under location ID 1-16954979936.

What does live-in care cost?

Live-in care is charged weekly rather than hourly, and the figure depends on how much support is needed, whether the person needs help during the night, and whether one carer or two are required for safe moving and handling. We give you a clear weekly figure after a free assessment, before you commit to anything.

It is worth comparing against hourly visits. Our home care visits start at £24 an hour, so once someone needs several long visits a day, live-in care often works out better value as well as being less disruptive. We will tell you honestly which of the two suits the situation, including when hourly visits are the cheaper answer.

Live-in care or a care home?

The main difference is familiarity. In a care home, the person moves into a new building, adapts to its routine and shares staff with other residents. With live-in care they stay where they are, keep their own routine, and have one carer whose attention is not divided.

Live-in care also tends to suit couples better. A care home usually means separating or paying two fees, whereas a live-in carer can support both people in the same house.

Where does the carer sleep, and what about their breaks?

The carer needs their own room, a bed and somewhere to store their things. They are entitled to a daily break of around two hours, and families usually arrange for a relative, neighbour or a short visiting call to cover that time.

Carers also need time off. We arrange cover in advance and introduce the replacement carer beforehand, rather than sending an unfamiliar person to the door unannounced.

Waking nights and sleeping nights are not the same thing

A live-in carer sleeps in the home and can get up if they are needed in the night. That is a sleeping night, and it is what most live-in arrangements involve.

If someone needs attention repeatedly through the night, every night, that is continuous waking care and it needs a different arrangement, usually with a second carer on a night shift. One person cannot be awake all night and provide good care the following day. We will tell you which of the two the situation actually calls for.

How we match a live-in carer

Matching matters more in live-in care than in any other kind, because the carer shares the home. We consider the level of care needed first, then practical things like whether the carer drives, whether they are comfortable with pets, and whether they are a smoker. Beyond that we think about temperament, interests and whether two people are likely to get along over weeks rather than hours.

Every carer holds an enhanced DBS check and the Care Certificate, and either holds or is working towards an NVQ or QCF Level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care. You can read more about how we recruit and train our carers.

Arranging live-in care

Call us and we will arrange a free visit to talk it through. There is no charge for that visit and no obligation afterwards. If you decide to go ahead, we assess what is needed, agree a care plan, and match a carer before any start date is set.

To talk to our Care Assessment Team, call 07423 495545 or send us a message.