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A Complete Guide to Selecting the Right 24-Hour Home Care Services

Sometimes, caring for an old or disabled loved one is not just routine exercise. It's a round-the-clock job. The care job requires a complete use of your time at all times of the day. This usually happens when the care receiver is immobile. In this case, you have to ensure they go through their daily life activities with your help.

With the level of commitment required, it's usually not so easy for some family members to undertake the task. That's where hiring a 24-hour home care worker is. With a professional home care worker, the needs of your loved ones can be met at all times without any stress on your part.

Looking at how important this role is, it is necessary that you make the right choice of caregiver. Choosing the wrong person can result in serious implications that may jeopardise the health and safety of your loved one. To help you make the right choice of caregiver, here are some important things to note. But first, let us explain what a 24-hour home care service entails.

What is 24-hour Home Care?

24-hour home care is a continuous home care service that provides around-the-clock care and support for seniors, disabled persons or persons with serious health conditions. This means that the caregiver is always available to attend to the needs of the care receiver. For this to happen, there are usually two ways to go about it: Live-in support or 24/7 care support.

Live-in support involves one caregiver living in the home of the care receiver to attend to their needs all day and night. The carer can take breaks at intervals, like when the care receiver is sleeping or when they don't have any needs to be met. This is the best option for those at risk of falls or having trouble with their medication.

24/7, on the other hand, involves multiple caregivers working in shifts. Your provider ensures that you have a worker at all times of the day. It is the best home care package for people who require constant supervision and support.

Signs That 24-Hour Home Care May Be Needed

Certain signs indicate the need for 24-hour home care. Some of these signs include:

Worsening Mobility Issues 

Seniors or disabled persons who can't move around the house on their own may require 24-hour home care. The caregiver is expected to help them with the following:

• Get in and out of bed

• Get in and out of the bathroom and probably assist with having a bath

• Go down the stairs

• Move around the house and outside the yard 

Cognitive decline

It is not safe to leave someone with mental health issues alone. There are chances that they may hurt themselves or forget to take their medication, which might be a big health risk. People like this require 24/7 support to help them plan their daily lives, keep them safe and take their medication as they should.

Safety concerns when left alone 

If you worry that your loved one may sustain injuries either from falls, wandering or other accidents in the home, then it's best to provide them with 24-hour home care support. It could also apply to unsafe neighbourhoods where you fear that there may be break-ins.

Caregiver burnout in family members

Caregiving can either be DIY or professional. We are focusing more on the professional aspect, where you hire a caregiver to take care of your loved one. You could be taking care of your loved one who lives with you, and that's okay. But if you start to feel stressed out or cut off from your social life due to your caregiving responsibilities, then you should consider getting a 24-hour home care worker to take over.

Key Qualities to Look for in a 24-Hour Home Care Worker 

Hiring a home care worker is a decision that must be well thought out. Caregivers are a big part of the lives of those they provide care for, and choosing the most appropriate one can greatly determine the physical and emotional condition of the care receiver.

Even greater caution is needed if it is 24/7 home care as the caregiver has more responsibilities to handle, which means a lot more is expected of him or her. In case you are looking for a nice 24-hour home care worker to hire, here are the most essential characteristics to look out for.

Qualifications and Training

There is DIY caregiving where you take care of your loved ones and there is professional caregiving where you hire a trained individual to look after your old or disabled loved one. In hiring a caregiver, you should ascertain their level of training. A good caregiver should be trained in taking care of an aged or disabled person both physically and emotionally. They may also possess medical training and cooking skills. These qualities are important for 24-hour home care services and should be provided as value for your service charge.

Registered or Not

Some home care workers are registered under providers who are in turn registered under government agencies like the NDIS for disability support and home care packages for seniors. Some other workers are not registered under any agency, hence work as freelancers. Both registered and unregistered home care workers can do a good job but you have the advantage of accountability when the caregiver is from a registered provider. Under registered providers like Support Network, home care workers receive adequate training and abide by government regulations. The well-being of your loved one is guaranteed above anything else. 

Consistency and Continuity in Care

Ask for reviews and references to determine if your potential 24-hour home caregiver is consistent on the job. The whole idea behind 24-hour home care is to provide uninterrupted care, ensuring that the care receiver doesn't lack anything at any time. This idea is defeated if the caregiver cannot show up for their shifts on time or skip days. 

Communication Skills

Go for a caregiver who understands your language and can communicate effectively. Without proper communication, you may not get the kind of support you need. They need to understand your needs to care better for you and you need to understand them to communicate your needs better. This is why it's often better to hire people within your locality as they have better chances of understanding you than outsiders. Any form of communication barrier in terms of language differences or speech impairments should be addressed before the contract begins.

Care Planning Skills

A good caregiver does a thorough assessment of their care receiver to create a support plan that effectively provides for the needs of the receiver. The plan should reflect everything the care receiver needs from meals to medication and daily routines. With a good plan, the care receiver will have a better understanding of their care routine. It helps them feel more independent and in charge.

Trustworthiness and Respect

Your loved one deserves both a competent and a compassionate caregiver. Go for a caregiver who respects your loved ones and cares for them with patience and understanding. You have no business hiring someone you don't trust to be alone in the house with your loved one. Do background checks and ask for references to find out about the worker's personal life.

Flexibility and Personalised Care

Flexibility could be in the form of adjusting daily routines or increasing care hours temporarily to suit care needs. A good 24-hour home care worker should be open to new care needs and changes in routine. For example, if they are supposed to leave by 1 pm for the second caregiver to take over, but the caregiver is held back for some reason, they should be able to spare extra minutes or even an hour, as the case may be. The better they are at adjusting to the care receiver's needs, the more personalised care they can provide.

Emergency Procedures

What can your 24-hour home care worker do in the face of an emergency? Reliable caregivers have emergency procedures to ensure the safety of your loved ones. They should have a level of medical training that may come in handy in cases of emergency. Quick response to situations and the ability to call for help in term are strong indicators of reliability.

Support Schedule and Availability

Describe how you want your support to be arranged, especially at night, weekends, and holidays. A quality caregiver should give you a clear breakdown of how the support will be provided and when you can expect them not to be present so that you can arrange for respite care. Don't hesitate to point out anything that may be inconvenient as regards the schedule.

Pricing and Transparency

Cost is also an important factor when choosing a caregiver. Make sure that you are aware of the whole cost to avoid dealing with hidden charges. Also, find out about extra charges in case of overnight or weekend care needs. The more you know about the cost of care you receive, the better decisions you can make. This is another case where registered providers have proven to be better than unregistered ones. Government funding cuts down costs under registered providers, but individual providers act on their own.

Questions to Ask Your Provider Before Hiring a 24-Hour Home Care Worker 

In addition to screening your potential 24-home care support worker, you should also ask your provider some questions to ascertain their level of commitment to ensuring the success of the contract. Ask your provider the following questions regarding receiving 24-hour home care.

• What is included in your 24-hour care package?

This is very necessary to ask. You need to know what your 24-hour home care services cover and what it doesn't. If you are looking for 24/7 care, you need to ask them to know if they have enough caregivers to maintain a continuous shift. If it's a live-in care, you should also know if they have workers who are available for it. 

It is also important to know what services you should expect from your caregiver. For example, some home care packages cover help with taking a walk, using transport and attending appointments, whereas some are basically in-home and nothing else. Make your needs clear and understand all you can get.

• Do you create customised care plans?

Some providers work on an established plan with little flexibility. If however, you require more customised care, you should ask the provider if they can offer that. For example, if the providers have a meal plan for adults, but you don't like some of the meals, you should inquire to know if the care worker can prepare something different at your request. 

• What happens if the caregiver is unavailable?

This is very important in cases of an emergency. You should know if your provider can assign you another caregiver within a short period of time to provide respite care, pending when the right worker shows up.

• Are services flexible to changing needs?

What happens when an aged care receiver also loses their mobility? Or when the care receiver could initially take their bath without assistance, but now they can't? Understanding the flexibility of services you are to receive helps you plan ahead. Your focus is on making sure that your loved one is properly taken care of, and that's only achievable if they receive comprehensive care that covers all of their needs.

• What are the costs, and are there hidden fees?

It always comes down to money. Ask your provider about the cost of their services and about additional charges in case of a change in needs. You need to know everything you are expected to pay and what your payment covers without any form of hidden charges.

How to Find The Right 24-Hour Home Care Workers 

Finding the right 24/7 home care services may be a bit difficult if you don't know where to look. But with the right information, you will get one in no time. Before we talk about the channels for finding the right round-the-clock home care services, let us understand the available options.

• Registered Providers: These are government-approved agencies that provide home care services. For disability support, they are under the NDIS with supervision by the NDIA. For aged care, they are under the Home Care Services. 

• Unregistered Providers: These are not government-affiliated. They could be agencies or just individuals.

Where to Find The Right 24-Hour Home Care Services 

You can find the right home care workers and providers from a number of sources. These sources include:

• Find a provider tool

• Local support coordinators

• Family members, neighbours and loved ones

• Churches and social gatherings

• Support groups

• Local newspaper and TV adverts

• Social media

You will find both registered and unregistered providers through these channels. You then decide which to go for based on your support needs, pocket size and service agreement terms.

Costs and Funding Options for 24-Hour Home Care Services  

There is no set price for 24-hour home care services. It all depends on the provider and the kind of services you require. Costs vary based on the level of care needed, such as:

• Personal care

• Nursing support

• Transport support

• Mobility support 

• Overnight support 

• Specialised services like dementia or palliative care. 

Some providers charge a daily flat rate, while others bill by the hour. Typically, unregistered providers charge higher due to a lack of government regulations and funding. However, for registered providers, the government reduces the cost of services through funding under various care packages. Here is how:

Government Funding Support

For seniors, the current Home Care Package (HCP) program offers four levels of funding, depending on assessed care needs. These packages cover a variety of services, including personal care, domestic help, and medical support. The government contributes a set amount, and providers may charge care management and administration fees.

However, starting from 1 November 2025, the Support at Home Program will replace HCPs. It will offer eight funding levels, with annual budgets ranging from approximately AUD 11,000 to 78,000. Budgets are paid quarterly, and care management fees will be regulated at 10% of the total quarterly allocation. 

For people living with disabilities, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding under Core Supports. This includes daily personal care, household assistance, and transport. The amount you receive is determined through an assessment based on needs.

Regardless of government funding, you may still need to pay extra charges for 24-hour home care. Care receivers may need to contribute a certain amount to meet the full cost, particularly if advanced or overnight care is required.

Conclusion

The benefits of choosing the right 24-hour home care worker are numerous. Your loved one will enjoy professional and personalised care every minute of the day. Nothing is more comforting than knowing they are in good hands. Don't rush the process of picking a home care worker for your loved one. Take your time and do the necessary checks. Go through trusted providers like Support Network to get the best-trained support workers.