If you’re looking into care for a parent, one of the things you might wonder is: how many hours of care a day would my mum or dad realistically need?
It’s a natural question to have, particularly when you’re trying to work out what kind of support would make a difference without taking away your loved one’s independence.
There isn’t a set number of hours that applies to everyone. Someone might need help with a few tasks each morning, while another person may need support throughout the day and overnight.
The right amount of care depends on what your loved one can manage independently, where they need help and how their needs are likely to change.
What actually determines how many hours of care someone needs?
Care isn’t usually worked out by looking at someone’s age or diagnosis alone.
A care needs assessment considers what your loved one can do for themselves, where they need support and how often that support is required.
This might include:
- Getting washed, dressed and ready for the day
- Getting in and out of bed or moving safely around the home
- Preparing meals and drinks
- Taking or being reminded about medication
- Using the toilet
- Shopping and other everyday errands
- Getting to appointments
- Managing household tasks
- Staying safe at home
- Maintaining hobbies and social activities
- Having company and reassurance
- Support during the night
Two people with the same condition can therefore have very different care needs.
For example, someone living with early-stage dementia who remains physically independent may need a few hours of support each day, for example. On the other hand, someone with reduced mobility and more complex needs may need considerably more.
A few hours of care can make a big difference
Care doesn’t have to mean having someone in the house all day.
If your loved one is still managing most things independently, visiting care can provide support at the points where they need it most.
A carer might visit in the morning to help with washing and dressing, prepare breakfast and make sure medication is taken. Another visit later in the day could help with lunch, household tasks or getting ready for bed.
For someone who needs support at specific times, this can be a good way of introducing care while allowing them to keep much of their existing routine.
Trinity provides visiting care on an hourly, daily or weekly basis, with care planned around the individual.
What might 4 to 6 hours of care a day look like?
There’s no official rule that says someone needing four or six hours of care should receive exactly that amount. The figure simply illustrates how visiting care can be built around particular parts of the day.
For example, your loved one might need:
Morning support
- Getting out of bed
- Washing and dressing
- Preparing breakfast
- Medication prompts
- Getting ready for the day
Midday support
- Preparing lunch
- Help with shopping or errands
- A short walk or social activity
- Household tasks
Evening support
- Preparing dinner
- Personal care
- Getting ready for bed
The visits don’t necessarily need to happen every day at exactly the same times. The care plan should reflect your loved one’s routine and what they actually need help with.
What if they need help throughout the day?
Sometimes a few scheduled visits aren’t enough.
You might find that your loved one needs help several times throughout the day, becomes anxious or confused when they’re alone, or needs someone nearby to provide reassurance and practical support.
This is where the distinction between visiting care and live-in care becomes important.
Visiting care provides support at agreed times. Live-in care provides a consistent presence in the home, with a carer living alongside your loved one and supporting them throughout the day.
For someone who needs frequent assistance, companionship or reassurance, live-in care can provide a level of continuity that several short visits can’t.
Trinity’s live-in care is designed around the individual, with a carer living in the home and providing support throughout the day.
When might overnight care be needed?
Some people manage well during the day but need help at night.
Perhaps your loved one needs assistance getting to the toilet, is at risk of falling when getting out of bed or becomes unsettled during the night.
In these circumstances, adding overnight care may be more appropriate than increasing daytime visits.
The type of overnight support needed also matters. Someone who occasionally needs help during the night has different requirements from someone who needs regular waking-night care.
A care provider should look at the whole pattern rather than simply adding more hours to a daytime care package.
When is live-in care the more realistic option?
Live-in care can become appropriate when your loved one needs support across much of the day or would benefit from having someone consistently nearby.
It can be particularly useful where someone:
- Needs frequent help with everyday tasks
- Has significant mobility difficulties
- Needs regular companionship or reassurance
- Is living with dementia and benefits from familiar routines
- Needs support getting up and going to bed
- Finds it difficult or unsafe to be alone for long periods
- Has care needs that don’t fit neatly into a few scheduled visits
A live-in carer has defined working hours, breaks and time to rest, with additional support arranged if the person’s needs require more than one carer can reasonably provide.
That’s an important distinction when thinking about how much care someone actually needs.
What if my loved one’s needs are changing?
Care needs rarely stay exactly the same.
An illness, an operation, a fall or a change in mobility can temporarily increase the amount of help someone needs. Conditions such as dementia can also mean that support needs gradually change over time.
This is why a good care plan should be reviewed rather than treating the original number of hours as permanent.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) expects registered homecare providers to have appropriate arrangements around care planning and risk management. Person-centred care planning is also among the documentation CQC may request when assessing a homecare provider.
For families, that means looking for a provider that doesn’t simply arrange a number of visits and leave you to manage what happens next.
How do you know if you’re underestimating the amount of care needed?
Families don’t always recognise how much support someone needs at first.
A parent might manage reasonably well when you’re visiting, for example, but struggle with meals, medication or personal care when they’re alone.
Look at what happens across a typical week, rather than one good day.
It can help to ask:
- Is my loved one managing to eat properly?
- Are they keeping up with personal care?
- Are they taking medication as intended?
- Can they move around the house safely?
- Are they managing stairs and getting in and out of bed?
- Are they leaving the house and staying socially connected?
- Are they becoming anxious or confused when alone?
- Am I, or another family member, regularly stepping in to fill the gaps?
That last question is particularly important. If family members are already spending hours each week providing unpaid care, that time is part of the picture too. It may indicate that the current arrangement isn’t as sustainable as it first appears.
What if my loved one only needs a little help?
It’s easy to think that care is only necessary once someone can no longer manage independently. In reality, a small amount of well-planned support can sometimes help someone remain independent for longer.
A carer might help with the morning routine while your loved one continues to prepare their own meals and manage other parts of the day. Someone else might simply need support getting out of the house, doing their shopping or attending appointments.
Care can be introduced gradually and adjusted as circumstances change.
The aim isn’t to do everything for someone. It’s to provide the support they need to keep doing as much as they can for themselves.
How Trinity works out how much care is needed
At Trinity, the process starts with a free care needs assessment. A member of the care team visits your loved one at home to understand their circumstances, routines and support needs. Trinity then uses this assessment to recommend an appropriate care arrangement.
This is important because care needs are personal.
The assessment can look at practical tasks such as personal care and mobility, alongside the less obvious things that make a difference to someone’s quality of life, including companionship, hobbies, routines and maintaining independence.
From there, Trinity can discuss whether visiting care, live-in care, overnight care or a combination of support is the best fit.
Why a professional assessment can help
It can be difficult for families to judge care needs from the outside, particularly when you’re emotionally involved.
Your mum or dad may insist they’re managing fine. You may feel they’re struggling more than they admit. Or different family members may have completely different views about what’s needed.
A professional assessment gives everyone an opportunity to look at the situation more objectively. It can identify where support is needed now, what your loved one can continue doing independently and whether there are likely to be changes that need to be planned for.
Trinity’s assessment is free and comes with no obligation to proceed. Talk to Trinity Homecare about your loved one’s care needs today.
