The Benefits of Offering Live-In Home Care

The time has never been better to be in the home care space. If you’re not already offering live-in care services, you should definitely consider it. 

In this article, we’ll talk about:

• The benefits of offering live-in care
• How to offer it
• The benefits of live-in care for families 

The benefits of offering live-in care

The regulations and laws around offering live-in care vary by state, so be sure to check for compliance purposes before moving forward. 

There are a number of reasons why you should offer live-in care, here are a few:

Scheduling

Scheduling is often one of the most time-consuming and resource-heavy pieces of home care operations. With live-in care arrangements, caregivers live with clients on a long-term basis. When you sign on a live-in client and find a caregiver for them, you’re forging a long-lasting bond that also relieves your schedulers of shifts to fill last minute and worry about schedule changes on a daily basis. Your caregivers will appreciate the consistency, time spent with clients, and more. 

Cost of care

Signing on a live-in care client means long-term, sustainable income for your home care agency. While some clients may increase or decrease hours after starting care, live-in care is often a set-it-and-forget-it arrangement that works out well for all ends.

How to offer live-in care at your home care agency

The first thing to do when looking into offering live-in care is to check with state and local regulatory bodies to see what the process looks like. 

Make sure the laws and regulations allow it. 

In New York, for example, aides are required to get 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep during an eight hour sleep period each night when working with a live-in client. Clients are also required to provide a sleeping area for caregivers, which includes a bed and their own bathroom. Check out New York’s regulations here, but be sure to read your state’s laws thoroughly before proceeding.

Confirm you are using home care software that is equipped for live-in care.

Different payer sources track live-in care differently, and some states have different laws as it relates to daily overtime and split shifts. 

“Every state has different requirements as it relates to live-in care and that extends to the home care software that your agency uses. You need to be able to assign shifts in a way that easily communicates how live-in care visits operate, despite the fact that they are consecutive,” shared Julio Barea, head of sales. “For caregivers, you need to educate them on how live-in care works. Even if they are working for a few days on end, they may still be required to clock in and clock out after certain durations. Making sure that they understand how to clock in, and how to document tasks overnight in the correct visit can help you stay compliant,” Barea continued. 

Market to families in your area in need of this type of care.

Live-in care is a versatile home care service offering that may appeal to a variety of clients, so be sure to cast a wide net. Live-in care may appeal to adults living with disabilities who want to live in their own home and community. Older adults who are independent but live alone may also enjoy the benefits of companionship and having someone to take them out for a day on the town.

Identify who you want to serve within your market, and create specific marketing collateral that explain what live-in care is. And add this service to your website as well. 

A new service offering also makes a great point to share with your referral partners so that they know to refer clients to you. 

The benefits of offering live-in care to families

Home care is a service that families often don’t know about, much less the nuances of service offerings like live-in care. Here are some of the benefits of offering it to families in your community: 

Saving money

On the client side, although this may be a larger expense, it saves them a lot of money—in the long-term—over 24-hour care. They also, in turn, work with 1-2 caregivers on a consistent basis with continuity of care, scheduling, fees, and more. 

For example, let’s put the average hourly rate of care at $30, for 168 hours a week which comes out to $5,040 per week in care expenses. For live-in care, on the other hand, costs a significant amount less than that, around $17.25 per hour, amounting to ~$2,896 per week.

Peace of mind

What makes live-in care different from traditional home care services is that the caregiver lives at the client’s home and remains ready to work on a continuous basis. This can give families peace of mind they might not have thought possible. 

Live-in care gives families the opportunity to remain in their role to their loved one. Their daughter can be their daughter. Spouses can continue to love and cherish their partner without becoming their full-time caregiver, which can often complicate and damage relationships. 

Live-in care has the potential to not only help you reach your revenue goals for 2024 but also help families access care they might not have found elsewhere (especially from a financial perspective). 

Offer live-in care to your clients using home care software built for your business.

The services you offer have the capacity to change lives. Live-in care is another option that can open doors for clients to live independently in their homes. 

If you’re curious about offering live-in care, be sure to consult with an attorney who specializes in the home care space like our partner, Polsinelli. And make sure that your home care software platform meets your current needs as well as the functionality you’ll need as you grow. 

Consider making a switch to CareTime for features you need to offer live-in care—and more!