This is the question we at Care at Home recently asked ourselves and, as a result decided to launch a new 5-day week live in care service. So effectively providing part-time live in care for only 5 days a week.

We receive many calls from people looking for visiting care, where really and truely in a number of cases they may need full-time live in care. However, the cost of full-time live in care is sometimes cost prohibitive when the weekly start cost is £650 per week. However, our new 5-day week part-time service starts at £500 per week, which represents a 23% saving.

Visiting care could cost around £420 per week for three 1-hour visits per day, where this is for 7-days a week at a charge of around £20 an hour. The total charge would obviously be less if the visits were less than 1-hour each time, but could equally be more if say 4 daily visits were required.

The types of care where visiting care is perhaps more questionable is where the person has either Alzheimers or Dementia. A person might receive a visit at say 8:30am and not be re-visited until around mid-day. This means that the person is left on their own for long periods of time and being that they are forgetful and have a tendency to wonder there is a problem. In some cases the person is locked in their own home, which effectively becomes a prison. Being locked in their own home could become a real hazard, if a fire were to break out, for example. In these circumstances we believe that live-in care would be the preferred and safer choice.

Visiting care is fine, so long as the person being cared for is “Safe” to be left alone for long periods of time. However, it is important to note that the elderly are prone to falling and it only takes one fall at a time when they are alone to be a problem. This is not to say that visiting care is not good, it has it’s place, but when any relative is looking for care for an elderly loved one, it needs to be thought through very carefully.

The part-time live in care service would mean that the family will have to look after their elderly relative over the weekends, but it does mean that during the week they can still go to work in the knowledge that their loved one is being looked after and at a price which is more affordable.

We are hoping that with a reduced price for a 5-day week instead of the full 7-day week package, combined with the possibility of obtaining government help towards the payments by way of direct payment, our new service will be well received.

For more details visit our main site and contacts us for a free no obligation care plan and quote

As well as a television advert, the campaign will feature a touring theatre production which will visit day centres and care homes throughout Scotland.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison saw a preview of the Live Wire Theatre Group production during a visit to Dundee’s Oakland Centre today.

The £200,000 campaign is designed to highlight the importance of the National Care Standards and get the message across about what they mean and the benefits they bring.

Care standards set out what people can expect from each type of care service – from support with independent living through to care homes for the elderly.

Ms Robison said:

“Choosing the right care provider – whether you’re looking for a nursery or residential care for an elderly relative – is crucial.

“That’s why we have the National Care Standards which are designed to ensure people receive the same quality of care no matter where they live. They also set out what people are entitled to expect, for instance their rights to privacy.

“The standards also play a critical role in the inspection process as they are used by the Care Commission to monitor and drive up the quality of care across Scotland.

“To support this, we will also shortly implement National Minimum Information Standards For All Adults In Scotland. These are to give health, social work and housing professionals a consistent framework for identifying people’s needs and preparing care plans.

“Today’s campaign aims to raise awareness of the standards amongst the people who matter – those people who need to be cared for either now or in the future – and I’m sure that the TV advert, coupled with the innovative theatre production, will help to do just that.”

Professor Frank Clark, Convener of the Care Commission, said:

“As regulator and inspector of Scotland’s 15,000 care services, the standards provide the shade card against which we measure the quality of the care being provided.

“Not everyone realises that the National Care Standards are relevant to them. Yet they cover the services provided by, for example, childminders, day and after-school care for children, care homes and personal care delivered in the home.

“We urge people who use these services, their families and carers to become familiar with the standard of care they can and should expect.”

There are 23 sets of standards, covering a wide range of services including care homes for older people, day care services and respite care services. Adults receiving a care service can expect to have a care plan that sets out their individual support and care needs and personal preferences.

Full details on the Scottish Government Website