20/02/2020
There has been an incredible rise in the number of people requiring live-in care. This has led to an increase in the number of people wanting to be live-in carers, especially in the UK. Despite all the great benefits that come with this job, there are many misunderstandings that arise in the minds of those who wish to become live-in carers. The biggest concern that arises in such individuals is the fear of losing their personal space and privacy.
However, it is not true for any live-in carer residing in the UK. As per the law of the UK, it is mandatory for the patient’s family to provide a proper room to the carer, therefore people opting for this profession don’t necessarily need to compromise their privacy.
It is evident that live-in carers have a job that requires them to be physically and mentally present at all hours of the day. They are expected to be vigilant throughout the day and if needed, during the night as well. A good live-in carer ensures that all the needs of the patient have been met for the day and only then retires to their room. So most often, the time they get to rest is when the patient has slept or is visited by a loved one/family member.
Therefore, the time that a live-in carer can spend in his/her room depends and varies from situation to situation. A restless patient who requires care on some nights can make the live-in carer attend to them at that time as well.
Needless to say, this is normally not the case and live-in carers get time to rest after a whole day of work. Live-in carers need breaks, it is important for them to relax to function at their full potential on other working days. This can only happen if the live-in carer is well-rested.
Live-in carers are entitled to get 14 hours of break away from their work, in a week. This estimates to roughly 2 hours a day, allowing the live-in carer to rest and relax.
Since the room provided to the live-in carer is a requirement by the state. Live-in carers residing or occupying their room are not required to pay any rent.
After a whole day of work, when the live-in care decides to rest, it is ethically and morally wrong for anyone to disturb the privacy of the live-in carer. It is important for the family of the patient, to ensure complete safety to the live-in carer, with no disturbance of his/her privacy. Apart from the patient requiring any emergency care, the live-in carer should not be disturbed.
Live-in care jobs are for people who are well-aware of the hard work they need to put in on a day-to-day basis. This is the reason why live-in carers need to have an amiable personality with good communication skills to make the patient feel comfortable.
With all the work that is being put in by live-in carers, it is important for families looking to hire live-in carers to assure their complete privacy and security at all costs. They should also make sure that their room is equipped with a television and has good coverage of the internet. It is crucial to understand that a live-in carer will only be able to perform well if he/she is well-rested and is not emotionally drained from their job.
Understanding the needs of the live-in carer goes a long way in the provision of excellent services by the carer to the patient.
References
Live in Carer Legal Rights: Live in Carer employment rights: Live in Carer Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://guardiancarers.co.uk/care-information/live-in-care-legal-employment-rights
What Does a Private Live In Carer Need? (2020, October 22). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://myhometouch.com/articles/what-does-a-live-in-carer-need
Live-in Carer Frequently Asked Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk/jobs/live-in-carer-jobs/live-in-carer-faqs/
Live-in Carers: Frequently Asked Questions. (2020, October 16). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www.trinityhomecare.co.uk/jobs-and-training/frequently-asked-questions/live-in-carer-faqs/
