How does Live-in Care compare to residential care?

Choice and independence

With Dovida’s Live-in Care, you stay in the same place you might have raised your family or formed your life-long friendships, and you remain close to your community. Our Caregivers can accompany you to the local shop, library, park or bridge club, so you can continue to live an active and independent life at home.

If you choose to move to a nursing home, you’ll likely live in a managed facility, away from home and your community, sharing space with other residents. It is true than many nursing homes arrange outings and activities, but they often come with additional costs and inflexible timings, and we find our clients prefer the choice and independence that comes with Live-in Care.

That independence is embedded into the structured but flexible nature of our managed Live-in Care plans. Following your initial, free, no-obligation care consultation, our Care Managers will work with you and your family to put a 7-hour daily care schedule together, which is based around your own specific requirements. If you’d like an hour of companionship over breakfast, we’ll include that in your plan. If you’d like to play some card games or do the crossword in the afternoon or the evening, your Caregiver will be there to share the joy.

If your preferences change over time, we’ll revise your plan and adjust it to your needs so that you’re always receiving the best in quality care, and the best in care outcomes. Since nursing homes cater to a larger number of residents, they cannot offer this level of choice or time, and clients often have to stick to rigid daily schedules.

Each client is supported by two dedicated Caregivers who work on a rotating 8-week schedule. This means you’ll get to know your Caregivers well, and they’ll develop a deep understanding of your routines, preferences, and needs. In a nursing home setting, you may see different staff members coming and going, but our model ensures a high level of continuity and familiarity. This not only enhances the quality of care but also helps build meaningful relationships, creating a more comfortable and reassuring experience at home.

Seven hours of personalised care

One of the most valuable aspects of our Live-in Care service is the amount of one-to-one care clients receive. Your care plan includes up to seven hours of personalised care from your Live-in Caregiver every day, all based around your own individual schedule. It is tailored to your specific requirements, and can be adjusted any time.

Nursing home residents receive an average of 3.6 hours per day of personalised care from a nurse or healthcare assistant, and while overall costs for a professionally managed Live-in Care service can seem slightly higher than some nursing homes, the additional value from the personalised attention you’ll receive is incalculable.

Immediate cost relief

Cost of care is always a significant concern for clients and families when choosing long-term support. The good news here is that the cost of Live-in Care can be significantly reduced by two state schemes which bring immediate relief, and have no long-term implications. Many Live-in Care clients are already in receipt of a certain number of HSE Home Support Service hours.  

You can put your HSE Home Support Service hours towards the total hours provided under your Live-in plan, so you’ll only need to pay for the difference. In addition, the Home Care Tax Relief Scheme helps reduce the cost of care by up to 40%. We can talk you through these options in your free care consultation.

While the Fair Deal Scheme also helps nursing home clients to reduce the cost of care in nursing homes, applicants often pay 80% of their assessable income to the HSE to cover the cost and also pay 7.5% per annum on their assets (capped at three years for their principal residence). 

Let’s start a conversation

Delivered by compassionate and highly skilled Caregivers, Dovida’s Live-in Care service is a personalised, comprehensive solution for individuals who need long-term support to remain living in the comfort of their own homes.

There will always be a place for nursing homes in the Irish care sector, but we think our managed Live-in Care service provides our clients with a unique sense of continuity, security and peace of mind, and a very strong alternative to residential care today. 

Let’s start a conversation – book your free, no-obligation care consultation and our local team will help explain your options.