How Many Hours Does a Live-in Carer Work?

A live-in carer works 6-10 hours per day but will be present at a patient’s home 24 hours a day.

The real benefit of a live-in carer is their ability to be “on call” when the need arises during the day.

Beyond the 6-10 hours of care work throughout a day-night cycle, it is generally accepted that a carer shouldn’t be woken in the night more than two or three times as this can become extremely taxing on them. A standard solution to a patient frequently waking at night is to get a waking night carer a couple of times a week to give the carer a whole night’s uninterrupted sleep.

If you’d like to find out how to handle waking nights better, take a look at our article on the subject.

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Do Live in Carers Get a Day Off?

Not usually, while they are on a placement. A daily break of two hours is typical if time can be found in the day, but some clients opt to cover a more extended break once a week.

Live-in carers should be able to take approximately a two-hour break each day, although this is often dependent on the client’s needs. Some employers may allow a live-in carer to take an additional day off if their client can manage without them for a few hours or if the carer can make alternative arrangements. Ultimately, it is up to the employer and the live-in carer to decide on a working schedule that suits both parties.

Do I Have to Pay Overtime if the 10 Hours a Day Is Exceeded?

In general, no. If the instance was a one-off event requiring additional time from the carer, it would unlikely be accompanied by any charge. Still, if a job routinely requires ten or more hours of work a day, you may find that a higher salary needs to be negotiated with the carer. This is especially common when caring for couples, as while this is not usually a doubling of work, the increase in workload can be significant.

If you want more information on the pricing of live-in care, check out our article on the subject.

How Do I Determine How Many Hours of Care My Loved One Needs?

Determining how much help your loved one needs is the first step in identifying your needs and, therefore, the difficulty/price of your job. One option is to get the council to perform a needs assessment for you. This is a free service from your local council that you are entitled to even if you are not eligible for any funding. The only negative of this approach is that you may be waiting for weeks to get an answer.

If you would like a quicker estimate of your care needs, then why not call our support team on 0203 369 3624?

Conclusion

I hope this article has answered your question about the number of hours a live-in carer works. If you have any other questions about live-in care, then why not check out our complete guide to live-in care?