If you’re looking at care at home for yourself or someone you love, you’ll probably come across two main options: live-in care and visiting care.
Both allow you to stay at home, but they work quite differently.
Visiting care provides support at specific times during the day, from a single visit a week to several visits a day. Live-in care provides more consistent support, with a carer living in your home and helping with everyday life throughout the day.
The right option depends on how much help is needed, when that help is needed and how you want your days to look.
Cost is another important part of the decision. Visiting care is charged according to the visits you need, while live-in care is usually charged as a weekly fee.
What is live-in care?
With live-in care, a carer lives in your home and provides one-to-one support throughout the day, as well as being there overnight.
This can be helpful if you need regular assistance with things such as:
- Washing, dressing and personal care
- Getting up and going to bed
- Preparing meals
- Medication support
- Mobility
- Household tasks
- Appointments and activities
- Companionship and reassurance
Having a carer at home can also make everyday life easier for family members, particularly when someone’s care needs have become too much for occasional visits to cover.
Live-in care doesn’t mean a carer is working every minute of the day or night. They need regular breaks and overnight rest, just as anyone else does. If someone needs regular waking support overnight, additional overnight care may be needed.
At Trinity, live-in care is matched around the individual, including their care needs, personality, lifestyle and usual routines. You can also see your proposed carer’s profile before deciding whether the match feels right.
What is visiting care?
Visiting care means a carer comes to your home at agreed times to provide the support you need.
You might need one short visit a week for companionship or practical help, or several visits each day for personal care and support with everyday routines.
Visits can include:
- Washing and dressing
- Getting ready for the day or going to bed
- Medication support
- Preparing meals
- Help around the home
- Mobility support
- Shopping or appointments
- Companionship
Visiting care can be a good fit when you are still managing much of your day independently but need some help at particular points.
It can also be a useful starting point. If your needs change later, your care plan can be reviewed and the amount of support adjusted.
Live-in care vs visiting care: what’s the difference?
The biggest difference is how often support is available.
| Live-in Care | Visiting Care | |
|---|---|---|
| Carer presence | A carer lives in your home and is there throughout the day and overnight, with regular breaks and rest | A carer visits at agreed times |
| Level of support | Suits people who need regular or more consistent help throughout the day | Suits people who need help at particular times |
| Frequency | Ongoing support as part of a live-in arrangement | From occasional visits to several visits a day |
| Cost | Usually charged as a weekly fee | Usually charged by the hour or visit |
| Companionship | Regular companionship throughout the day | Companionship during scheduled visits |
| Routine | Support can be built around your normal daily routine | Support is planned around the times you need it |
| Privacy | You have a carer living in your home, so it’s important to feel comfortable with that arrangement | You have your home to yourself between visits |
| Changing needs | Can provide a higher level of ongoing support as needs change | Can be increased or reduced as your needs change |
How much does live-in care cost compared with visiting care?
This is one of the most important differences to understand.
Visiting care is usually charged by the hour or by the length of each visit. Live-in care is generally charged as a weekly fee because a carer is living in your home and providing a much more consistent level of support.
At the time of writing, Trinity’s current pricing guide lists visiting care from £41 an hour, with 30-minute visits from £30. Live-in care is from £1,694. The exact cost depends on the level and complexity of care required.
That makes it important to look at how much visiting care you actually need, rather than simply comparing an hourly rate with a weekly rate.
What could visiting care cost over a week?
As an example, based on a visiting care rate of £41 an hour:
| Visiting care needed | Weekly cost |
|---|---|
| 1 × 30-minute visit each day | £30 x 7 days = £210/weekly |
| 2 × 30-minute visits each day | £30 x 2 x 7 days = £410/weekly |
| 3 × 30-minute visits each day | £30 x 3 x 7 days = £630/weekly |
| 4 × 30-minute visits each day | £30 x 4 x 7 days = £840/weekly |
| 4 × 1-hour visits each day | £41 x 4 x 7 days = £1,148/weekly |
| 6 × 1-hour visits each day | £41 x 6 x 7 days = £1,722/weekly |
These are illustrations rather than quotes. Your actual cost will depend on the length and timing of visits, the support required and your individual care plan.
The table also shows why there isn’t a simple rule such as “four visits a day costs the same as live-in care”. If visits are short, visiting care can remain considerably less expensive. If someone needs several longer visits every day, the cost can move closer to a live-in package.
With live-in care, you’re also paying for a different model of support: having a dedicated carer in the home and being able to receive help throughout the day rather than only during scheduled visits.
When might visiting care be the better fit?
Visiting care may make sense if:
You can manage between visits
You might be able to get up, prepare a drink or meal and move around your home independently, but need some help with particular tasks. For example, you may need help getting washed and dressed in the morning and getting ready for bed at night.
You only need help at certain times
Some people need support at one or two points in the day rather than throughout it. A morning visit, afternoon check-in or evening visit may be enough to make everyday life more manageable.
You want to keep your independence
Visiting care gives you support when you need it while leaving you with your own space and time between visits.
You’re starting to need a little more help
Care doesn’t have to start with a large package. Some people begin with a few visits a week and increase their support if their needs change.
When might live-in care be the better fit?
Live-in care may be worth considering when visits no longer provide enough support to make everyday life work comfortably.
You need help throughout the day
If you need assistance at several different points during the day, having a carer living with you can provide more continuity than arranging multiple separate visits.
You’re worried about being alone between visits
This can be particularly relevant if you have mobility difficulties, are living with dementia or have a condition that makes everyday tasks more difficult. Live-in care can provide reassurance that someone familiar is there if you need help, while still allowing you to make your own choices and follow your usual routine.
Your needs are changing
Progressive conditions such as dementia can mean that the amount of support someone needs changes over time. Live-in care can provide a more consistent level of support where several daily visits are becoming difficult to manage.
Family members are struggling to provide enough support
Family often step in when someone first needs help at home. But there can come a point when coordinating visits, appointments, meals and personal care alongside work and family life becomes difficult. Live-in care can take off that pressure while allowing your loved one to remain at home.
You want to stay at home
For some people, the biggest consideration is simply being able to continue living where they know and feel comfortable. Live-in care can help you keep your home, routines, pets, hobbies and connections with the people around you.
What if you aren’t sure which type of care you need?
You don’t need to make the decision based on a checklist alone. Think about what actually happens during a typical day.
Do you need help getting up, washing and dressing? Do you need someone around at mealtimes? Are there periods when you’re managing perfectly well on your own? Do you need help overnight? Is a family member currently filling the gaps between visits?
These details can give a much clearer picture of the level of care needed.
It’s also worth thinking about what might change over the next few months. A care plan that works today may need adjusting if someone’s mobility, memory or health changes.
A care assessment can help you work through this without committing to a particular type of care straight away.
Can you have both visiting and live-in care?
Yes, depending on your circumstances, different types of care can be used together.
For example, someone with a live-in carer may need additional support overnight if they regularly wake and need assistance. A visiting carer may also provide extra support at specific times where this is appropriate.
The important thing is that the care arrangement reflects the person’s actual needs rather than trying to fit those needs into a particular type of service.
Can you move from visiting care to live-in care?
Yes. Care needs can change, and visiting care may no longer provide enough support.
If you find that more visits are being added, family members are filling more gaps or you’re becoming less comfortable being alone between visits, it may be time to review the arrangement.
Moving to live-in care doesn’t have to mean making a decision for the rest of your life. The care plan can be reviewed as circumstances change.
Live-in care and visiting care with Trinity Homecare
At Trinity Homecare, we provide both visiting care and live-in care, so the starting point is always the person rather than the type of service.
We’ll talk through what you need help with, what your normal day looks like and what matters to you at home. Your care manager can then help you understand which type of care could work and what it would cost.
For live-in care, we take personality, lifestyle and preferences into account when matching you with a carer. For visiting care, we’ll build visits around the times and tasks where you need support.
Trinity Homecare has more than 30 years’ experience providing care at home, with dedicated care management and clinical support available where needed. Our Worcester Park service is rated Outstanding overall by the CQC.
Frequently asked questions
Is live-in care more expensive than visiting care?
It usually costs more overall because it provides a much greater level of ongoing support. However, the difference depends on how many visiting care hours you need. If someone needs several long visits every day, the total cost of visiting care can move closer to the cost of live-in care.
Is live-in care the same as 24-hour care?
No. A live-in carer lives in the home and provides support throughout the day, with regular breaks and overnight rest. If someone needs continuous waking care through the night, additional overnight support may be required.
Is visiting care cheaper than live-in care?
For people who only need a few visits a week or short visits each day, visiting care will generally cost less because you’re paying for the hours of care you use. The more hours of visiting care you need, the closer the overall cost may become to live-in care.
Can visiting care be provided several times a day?
Yes. Visiting care can range from occasional visits to multiple visits each day, depending on your needs and the care plan.
Can live-in care support someone with dementia?
Yes. Live-in care can provide consistent support for someone living with dementia, including help with routines, personal care, meals, mobility and companionship. Trinity also provides specialist live-in dementia care.
Can I stay at home with either type of care?
Yes. Both visiting and live-in care are designed to support you in your own home, helping you maintain familiar surroundings and your usual routines.
Talk to us about care at home
You may already have a good idea of the type of care you need. Or you may simply know that managing things alone is becoming harder. You don’t need to have everything worked out before you speak to us.
Call Trinity Homecare on 0207 183 4884 for a confidential conversation about your options, or enquire online.
We’ll listen to what’s happening, talk through the different options and explain what the next steps could look like.
