Research points to shift in focus to live-in care

Elder

Most full-time and part-time carers will switch from working in care homes over the next three years, to go self-employed or work directly for a private client, according to research covering 500 carers, carried out on behalf of care job agency Elder.

The research contends that this trend demonstrates a longer-term shift towards live-in delivery, which has accelerated over the past 18 months with one in five (21%) carers now offering at-home care.

Care homes also face waning demand with nearly a quarter (24%) of those who receive care receiving it at home already – and over the next year, demand for live-in care will almost double that for care home placements. Plus, close to one in 20 current residents will be removed from care homes to receive alternative forms of care in the next year.

Future demand looks set to fall further as some 74% of the public asked said, given the choice, they’d rather remain in their own home, often prompted by issues that arose during Covid. 58% agreed that reports of conditions during the pandemic deterred them from moving close relatives into a care home.

For carers working in care homes, the pandemic was one of the primary catalysts for their plans to leave the sector, with poor working conditions during the period (23%) and feeling pressure to take the Covid vaccine (23%) cited as major reasons for looking elsewhere.

One-in-five care workers believe they can take better care of individuals in their own homes. Furthermore, the majority believe people deteriorate more quickly once they move into a care home (54%).

Close to six-in-ten carers said they don’t think care homes will recover from staff shortages and 56% believe care homes will lose staff to self-employment over the next five years.

Pete Dowds, chief executive at Elder commented: “As technology improves and on-demand care becomes more accessible we’re, understandably, starting to see more elderly people wanting to remain in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.

“But beyond the benefits to quality of life for customers, the live-in model also presents an opportunity for carers to work for themselves, enjoy flexibility and regain the passion that led them to care in the first place, which will prove vital to the survival of the sector in the years to come.”

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