Overnight Care for the elderly

Overnight care for the elderly – What are my options?

We have become increasingly familiar with daytime homecare for the elderly. An increasing proportion of the population born after the second world war chooses to stay at home for as long as possible, rather than move into a care home.  What many people wonder, however, is how they or their loved ones can be looked after in their own home at night.

What is overnight care?

As the name suggests, overnight care involves a CareGiver staying overnight in the home of their Client.  This may be because the Client is recuperating from an event, such as an operation, and requires assistance at various times of the day and night. For example, they may require medication administration. They may also suffer a combination of conditions experienced at the same time which can lead to severe discomfort. A Client living with Dementia and suffering from incontinence may become disorientated during the night when they need to find their way to the toilet. There are many different circumstances in which a person might need care assistance overnight.

Being able to rely on a suitably trained home CareGiver throughout the night provides reassurance and peace of mind, as well as practical support.

How is overnight care funded?

Most overnight care is delivered on a privately funded basis.  This is because the vast majority of care packages funded by Local Authority are for daytime care only.  We would however, always suggest to our Clients that they contact their local Social Works team in the first instance, to discuss potential funding.

Private elderly care enables Clients to exercise complete control over their care and determine when, how and to what extent it is provided. Organisations like Right at Home Dundee Angus and North Fife can provide competent and trustworthy carers to spend the night at their Clients’ homes, in order to dispense a variety of homecare services.

If you would like to know how Right at Home Dundee, Angus and North Fife could help you with overnight care, contact us here

What are the main types of overnight care

Essentially, you can benefit from the same care during the night as you would during the daytime although most providers would normally offer two distinct types of overnight support: Waking Night and Sleeping Night care

Waking Night care

As the name suggests this is an overnight care shift during which the CareGiver remains awake and active because the Client has more significant needs and requires assistance either throughout the night or at various times during the night. Allowing the CareGiver to sleep during their shift would not be conducive to keeping the Client safe.  It may be that medication administration, repositioning or toileting are required. Other tasks can also be performed by the CareGiver, such as preparing breakfast or doing a bit of housekeeping.

Sleeping Night care

This delivers peace of mind and the reassurance that someone is there, should anything happen. The CareGiver arrives at the Client’s home at the start of their sleeping shift and leaves at the end of it.  They may also take the Client through their evening and next morning routines, although these would normally be recorded as separate visits from the overnight care shift. 

Visiting Night care

Local authorities and a very small number of providers may also offer short visits during the night to assist Clients in specific ways. These visits would normally be funded by local authorities. Clients opting for private homecare for the elderly are more likely to be given a choice of Waking or Sleeping Night care.

How much does it cost?

Sleeping nights tend to be significantly cheaper than waking nights because less is required of the carer who can also take on a full shift on the next day, having been able to rest during the night. While a Sleeping Night may cost around £200 per 9 hour shift, a Waking Night is likely to cost around 1/3 more (c.£260). Both types of care shift will give peace of mind to Clients and their family.

To discuss overnight care requirements for you or a loved one, contact us here