As time goes on, it may become necessary for your loved one to be provided with an overnight carer, a dedicated care professional who comes to stay at home with them throughout the night, helping them with anything they need as and when it arises.
This could be because assistance with night-time routines is necessary, or because someone needs regular monitoring. Or perhaps it’s because they need some reassurance that there’s someone at home with them.
Whatever the reason, it can be useful to know that there is help available if required, with a range of different services available to meet all requirements.
Something to take note of, however, is the differences between sleeping night carers and waking night carers, so you can decide which avenue is the best to go down for you and your relative or loved one.
Sleeping night carers
Sleeping night carers typically come to your home to sleep for the night, on hand to provide help and support when necessary but within prearranged parameters, usually a couple of times per night.
The aim of a sleeping night carer is to give your loved one peace of mind and greater reassurance that help is there if it’s needed, whether that’s for assistance going to the bathroom, pain management or something else.
This option is a good one for anyone who doesn’t often need assistance during the night, but who simply wants to know that there is someone available should they need a bit of help.
Waking night carers
Unlike a sleeping night service, waking night carers stay awake for the entire night so that they can monitor your loved one constantly and ensure that the necessary support is provided at all times.
These carers provide highly specialised care that’s fully tailored to suit your specific set of circumstances, appropriate for people with more complex care needs, such as those requiring palliative care, people with advanced dementia, or those who need help recovering from an operation of some kind.
As well as offering emotional support, reassurance and peace of mind for both you and your loved one, these carers are also qualified in medication management and can ensure that support in this area is supported if necessary.
Sitting services
Another option that’s available to you is a sitting service, where a carer comes to stay overnight to give you or another primary caregiver a break. This is a form of respite care, where the carer will stay awake and be ready to attend to the needs of your loved one.
For all these services, a comprehensive assessment will need to be carried out so that your specific needs, preferences and goals can be met, with a tailored care plan designed to ensure that you and your loved ones are properly taken care of.
