What does a live-in companion do, and where do you find one?

The companion eats with your relative, shares the day's small decisions with them rather than making those decisions alone, and sleeps in the house so somebody is there if anything happens overnight. What they do not do is administer medication, help with washing or dressing, or provide any kind of medical or nursing care. If your relative needs that kind of help as well as company, a carer who covers both personal care and companionship is usually the better fit, and how does live-in care work? sets out a fuller day for that kind of arrangement.

Getting this distinction right matters for safety as much as for cost: a companion is not trained or expected to move somebody who has fallen, and asking one to would put both of them at risk. What are the advantages of companionship care? covers what company on its own gives a person who is otherwise managing well.

A short trial, a few days or a week before committing to an ongoing arrangement, tells you more about whether somebody fits than any profile can. How does live-in care work? has more on rotas, breaks and what the room needs in practice.

A companion costs less than a live-in carer providing personal care because the role asks less physically of the carer, in the same way an hourly companionship visit costs a little less than an hourly personal care one. If your relative's needs turn out to sit between the two, most carers who offer companionship also offer personal care at the same rate, so moving from one to the other does not usually mean changing carer. The cost of live-in care sets out the full range, including complex and specialist needs, and how much does a companion carer cost? covers the hourly figures in detail if a few visits a week would do instead.

A traditional agency assigns a companion from its own staff and can swap them without your consent, which suits families who want everything handled but leaves less say over who moves in. Hiring somebody privately, through a noticeboard or a classified advert, can cost less, but the checking, the contract and finding cover if the companion is unwell are entirely down to you. PrimeCarers sits between the two: you choose who to message from a profile that already shows they have had an identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check on the Update Service, and an online interview, and you keep the ongoing say that hiring privately gives you. How do you find the right companion for your relative? goes into choosing between candidates once you have a shortlist, and how we vet every carer sets out what each check involves.