Live-in care for arthritis

It can be, especially when arthritis makes personal care, cooking, dressing and getting about hard, or when other conditions are involved too. A live-in carer helps with the tasks that hurt most, so your loved one can save energy for the things they enjoy, and is there on bad days when pain flares. We'll talk it through honestly on the first call, including whether less help might be enough.

Yes. Keeping joints moving matters with arthritis. Carers encourage and support the exercises set by the physiotherapist or occupational therapist, help with warm baths or heat packs if advised, and fit activity around the times of day when pain and stiffness are usually easier. They don't provide physiotherapy themselves, but they help your loved one keep to the routine every day.

Live-in care for arthritis starts from £1,090 a week paid to the carer, plus our weekly agency fee of £250, and a one-off registration fee of £250. The household also provides the carer's food and a private room. The exact weekly rate depends on how much help is needed, especially at night, and we confirm it after a free assessment call, with no long contracts. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and may help with the cost. Our cost page and cost calculator show how live-in care compares with a care home.

No. We only arrange live-in care, where the carer lives in the home. If your loved one only needs a little help, for example with getting dressed in the morning, your local council or the CQC website can point you to visiting home care providers. Live-in care usually makes sense when help is needed at different times across the day and night, or when someone is at risk of falls.

Yes. Arthritis often makes everyday jobs like opening jars, cooking, cleaning, laundry and changing beds painful. A live-in carer takes on these tasks, as well as shopping and helping with appointments, so the home stays comfortable without your loved one struggling. The carer can also suggest simple aids that make life easier, and the occupational therapist can assess for equipment such as grab rails and kitchen gadgets.

Often, yes. The carer can help your loved one on the stairs safely, or help set up a downstairs bedroom if that's safer. An occupational therapist can assess whether a stairlift, rails or other adaptations would help, and the council may contribute to some adaptations through a Disabled Facilities Grant. The carer will follow any moving and handling advice and tell you if getting about becomes harder.

Medicare People currently provides introductory live-in care services. We have submitted our application to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and intend to introduce a fully managed live-in care service following registration. As an introductory agency, we find, check and introduce self-employed live-in carers, and the family agrees the day-to-day care with the carer directly. Before any introduction we carry out right-to-work, DBS and reference checks and interview every carer. Our team stays in touch after the carer starts, arranges relief cover for breaks and holidays, and finds a replacement carer if the match isn't working.