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What’s it like, being a live-in carer?

Why live-in Carer’s?

Iโ€™ve worked with very dedicated and talented live-in carers in 20 years running a live-in homecare company. The role requires a highly dedicated, compassionate person; someone with a special balance of dedication and reliability, combined with sociability, good humour and common sense.

They provide essential assistance with washing, dressing, preparing meals, medication and housekeeping โ€“ as well as providing vital companionshipโ€ฆ someone to do the crossword with can make a world of difference! Many carers and nurses are also trained to cope with particular conditions such as dementia, Parkinsonโ€™s, stroke, MS or palliative care. Carers receive good rates of pay, ongoing professional training as well as free board and lodging.

Are you looking for elderly care at home or for someone close to you? We have plenty of information to help! Takeย a look here:ย Elderly Care at Home

About the Role

The average live-in carer is 45 or over (sometimes empty nesters) and the role often works well for people who are interested in combining caring with seeing family or travelling. In all cases, there is a very strict vetting procedure during the application process. To capture what itโ€™s really like to be a live-in carer, I spoke to a few of ours recently for this blog.

Carers often find they developย significantly as a result of their role and gain a lotย from assisting older people to have a better quality of life, making new friends and improving professional skills.: โ€œWorking with the elderly has given me many gifts: their attitudes, sense of humour, views on life, wisdom, past history and acceptance of death as part of life. I have had many an epiphany “aha!” moments. I could not have gained such insights into the seasons of life without the experience of being a live-in carer.โ€

Hiring-a-carer picture of carer and client

It does take patience and energy to look after someone day-to-day, but many of the carers say their clients have such great personalities and they laugh a lot. โ€œI have met some amazing clients who have led such interesting lives and have so much to offer me in terms of their experience and delightful stories. I feel honoured to be able to enhance the lives of these special folk in their twilight years.โ€

Without doubt, the life of a live-in carer is not a โ€˜traditionalโ€™ career choice. However, the value that they add to an older personโ€™s life is immense โ€“ and itโ€™s clear that carers gain a great deal from their work too.

Miriam Warner is the Managing Director of Miracle Workers and founder member of The Live-in Homecare Information Hub.ย 

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