Looking for a care agency?
Looking for a care agency?
If you’re looking into home care, you’ll likely come across two different types of providers – introductory agencies and fully managed agencies. But which best fits your needs?
If you’re looking into home care, you’ll likely come across two different types of providers – introductory agencies and fully managed agencies. But which best fits your needs?
Used by 5,000+ families across Great Britain
What are the different types of agency?
A managed care agency ‘manages’ every aspect of care. They create the care plan, and care managers direct a staff of carers on how your care should be provided on a daily basis.
With an introductory agency like Elder, you’ll be ‘introduced’ to self-employed care professionals, and your chosen carer will work for you, rather than the company – meaning you get to control how you or your loved one is cared for day-to-day.
The type of care provider you decide on will usually depend on how involved you’d like to be in the care, how your loved one would like to be cared for, and how quickly you need to put support in place.
Elder
- Get care in place in 24 hours
- Available throughout Great Britain
- You control over how care is delivered
- 35% Cheaper than managed services
- Care is delivered by a dedicated carer of your choice
Managed service agencies
- Usually a 1+ week turnaround with a home assessment
- Availability differs depending on provider
- Care manager controls how care is delivered
- Often the most expensive care option
- Staff of carers, and choice may be limited
How does Elder work?
We’ve built a platform that makes it easier for families and self-employed carers to find each other, build ongoing relationships, and access dedicated support when they need it.
While we provide the tools, the agreement for how care takes place will sit with you and your self-employed carer. This keeps care personal, allowing you to work together to protect a loved one’s routine and way of life.
Share your care request
Tell us your care requirements using our simple request form. This includes the level of care you’re looking for, any specialist care or skills you need, and what daily life looks like.
Select your carer
You’ll start receiving carer profiles of potential carers with in 24 hours. You can chat online to carers you’d like to know better, or arrange a phone or video call, before choosing who you like best.
Manage care
Use your online MyElder account to communicate with your chosen carer and the Elder support team, manage your care schedule, and set up secure payment.
What can self-employed carers help with?
Carers can help with a wide range of personal care activities – exactly what they support with is up to you, but they can include things like –
- Personal care / personal hygiene
- Cooking and nutrition
- Medication reminders
- Gentle exercise
- Household chores
- Running errands
- companionship
- Emergency response
- Pet care
For more on what self-employed carers can and can’t do click here.
Who are the carers on Elder's platform?
We want you to find a self-employed carer you can trust and get on with, so in order to join our platform we ask carers to –
- Pass a suitability screening
- Have a clean and valid DBS (England and Wales)
- Provide 2+ verifiable professional references
- Provide a valid photo I.D
- Show a good level of written and spoken English
Find your ideal carer
We have connected over 5,ooo families and carers across Great Britain. Search for yours today.
What are the benefits of using Elder?
Find the right skills and personality
Our technology matches self-employed carers on the skills you tell us are most important. So, whether you’re seeking someone with experience in specialist dementia care, or a professional with the skills to take on complex care – such as supporting someone after a stroke, we’ll connect you to suitable carers from our 6000+ network.
Stay in control
Managed services often come with a lack of control as care managers look after the day-to-day management of care. While this works for some families, some prefer the greater flexibility. With Elder the agreement is between you and your self-employed carer, meaning you’re able to create and manage your own care plan around your loved one’s routine and wishes, and plan breaks and rotations (i.e when their carer takes a break) around family life.
Enjoy better continuity of care
9 out of 10 Elder customers want their first choice live-in carer to return after they take their first break. Because you choose your self-employed carer from a curated selection, and work with them directly you can develop a strong relationship and really get to know the person providing your care. And, you get to choose the professional who covers your usual carer’s break periods too – meaning you can build a team of familiar carers you’re comfortable with.
Looking for dementia live-in care?
85% of us would want to stay in our own home if diagnosed with dementia. Elder makes this possible.
- We've helped thousands of families living with dementia
- We'll only match you to carers with dementia care experience
- We're part of Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Friends' initiative
"With the managed care services, I found it frustrating; I’m an ex-nurse and wanted more input into my parents’ care. I know my parents very well, and with my background, I knew what they needed, but I wasn’t allowed to help with the care plan...with Elder we now have two excellent carers who alternate...They’re both polar opposites, but it works, and my parents love them both. It’s really lovely."
FAQ's
About live-in care
Once you’ve created your MyElder account, you’ll need to complete some online clinical suitability questions and submit a ‘Care Request’. This can often be completed in under 10 minutes, and ensures Elder’s platform is right for your needs, and gives us the essential information we need to kick off the carer matching process. Questions cover –
- Basic information such as the name, age and location of the person needing care
- medical conditions
- mobility level
- hobbies and interests
- discrimination risk
Once submitted, our ElderMatch technology will use your answers to shortlist suitable self-employed carers. You’ll usually recieve the profiles of suitable carers within 24 hours.
Profiles contain details of the carers experience and background, and feedback they’ve recieved from other families. You’ll also be able to view a short introductory video from the carer to get to know them a little better.
You can invite other family members / decision makers to your account to help review potential carers, and can use the chat feature in MyElder to message the carers you’re interested in, and arrange a phone / video call with them.
If you’re unsure what to ask potential carers, we have some suggestions here. Once you’ve found a self-employed carer you’d like to work with, click ‘accept’ on their profile. For more tips for choosing the right carer for your needs, click here.
You can create your MyElder account by clicking this link.
Creating an account is free, and there’s no obligation to move forward with Elder once you’ve created your account.
Our Care Request questions have been developed by our in-house clinical team to automatically screen whether Elder’s services are appropriate for your needs. If your answers indicate that the level of care needed falls outside the scope of what a self-employed carer on our platform can provide, you’ll be notifed and have the chance to speak to one of our team for guidance on what to do next.
Yes, if you would like to work with more than one self-employed carer, for example, if you’d like one daytime and one nighttime carer, simply submit a separate care request for each – detailing the the needs each carer will be supporting with.
Because we’re a marketplace operating across Great Britain we can often connect families to self-employed carers within 24 hours. In some urgent instances, we’ve facilitated matches same day.
Yes, we give you the choice if you’d prefer a male or female carer, simply let us know if you or your loved one has a preference.
Yes. Every carer who joins our platform must have a good level of written and spoken English.
If you’d prefer a carer who also speaks a second language, simply let us know.
Many families use Elder Chat in your MyElder account to introduce themselves to their carer and arrange a follow-up phone or video call. If your carer is nearby and available, you may also be able to arrange a face-to-face meeting between yourselves before their first day.
A carer who moves into your loved one’s home will need their own space in which to sleep and spend time when they are not actually providing care. Most commonly, a carer will have a bedroom of their own, but if this is not practical, you could adapt a reception room or study for them to use – as long as it’s a private space i.e not a thoroughfare to another room or in regular use by other family members during the day.
The live-in carer will not need a bathroom of their own, although this would be preferable. They will need clean and functional bathroom facilities that they can use, and if sharing a bathroom, there should be somewhere for them to store toiletries.
We also recommend setting up a WiFi connection if you don’t have one already. The internet is useful for many things, including keeping in touch with Elder, which can be even more important if you live in a rural location with poor phone signal.
The carer will prepare meals and probably eat with you / your loved one, so separate dining facilities will not be needed. We’d recommend budgeting £40 per week for the carer’s food. However, if you’d like us to arrange it, we can add it to your weekly payments.
If the carer has any special dietary requirements they may prefer to provide their own food. We recommend discussing this with your chosen carer to come to an agreement that everyone is happy with.
Self-employed carers will usually work between 8-12 hours per day.
Yes. The self-employed carers on Elder’s platform provide personal care, which may include –
- toileting and continence
- washing and bathing
- getting dressed
- oral care
- hair care and grooming
- medication prompting
Some people may feel uncomfortable accepting help with intimate personal care tasks. If this is the case, it’s really important to detail how much support or supervision is needed, and any measures that may make things more comfortable in your Care request and Care Profile This will ensure your self-employed carer has all the information they need to support you / your loved one.
Please note, the self-employed carers on the Elder platform will not be expected to undertake Stoma care, PEG care, Wound care, Ventilation and oxygen support, e.g BiPAP or CPAP Support, Specialist drug administration, including Controlled Drug Administration, Covert Medication Administration, Glucose readings via finger pricks, Injections, Pessaries, Enemas, Suppositories, or Catheterisation
For more information, visit our quick guide for customers.
Yes, self-employed live-in carers can provide occasional night-time support, for example, helping the person they’re caring for get to the toilet, or providing reassurance if they wake up confused.
Carers expect to assist with night-time disturbances up to 2x per night for around 15 minutes on average. If your loved one requires more support than this, you’ll need to make alternative arrangements, such as waking night care. Live-in carers must get enough rest, so a self-employed carer should not expect to exceed these waking times unless he/she is a waking night carer.
For more information, visit our quick guide for customers.
While self-employed live-in carers aren’t professional cleaners, they can support with some light housework as part of their weekly duties. This may include –
- wiping down surfaces
- vacuuming and mopping floors
- emptying rubbish bins
- laundry
- changing bed linens
Expectations around household cleaning should be discussed and agreed upon with your carer before they begin the placement.
Self-employed carers are not expected to perform deep-cleaning tasks. It’s recommended that you enlist the services of a professional cleaning company for deeper cleaning or specialist expertise.
When your live-in carer takes time off you can use Elder to search for a self-employed respite carer to cover their break. Here’s how the process works –
- Together, you’ll discuss when they plan to take their break.
- They’ll then book their time off via our carer platform – The ElderHub.
- The dates will be automatically advertised on the ElderHub, and other carers will be able to apply to cover the period.
You can then choose from applicants, following the same process you used to select your first carer on MyElder.
Your primary carer will also receive the respite carer’s details so they can discuss key aspects of your loved one’s care and plan a smooth handover. For more information, click here. (link tbc)
If you choose to make private arrangements or have a family member step in to provide care instead, remember to let us know so that we can pause your care schedule to ensure you’re not invoiced for this period.
Yes, a number of families use funding to cover all or part of their care costs.
Depending on your financial situation, you may qualify for some level of live-in care funding from your local council. If you don’t qualify you may decide to use savings, or release money from your home.
Some people with long-term complex health needs are eligible for social care arranged and funded in full by the NHS. However it’s worth noting that this funding is reserved for those with more intensive health and care needs, meaning those who qualify may require specialist care, for example PEG feeding or stoma support. This falls outside of what an introductory service like Elder can facilitate.
For information on funding options, please take a look at our ‘Funding your Care’ guide.
About Elder
We understand that families put a lot of trust in the self-employed carers on our platform, so to join our platform carers must pass the following suitability screening –
- Have previous experience providing care either in people’s homes, or in a care home or specialist facility. We don’t accept personal care experience alone.
- Have a good understanding of the English language (written and spoken)
- Have a valid form of photo I.D
- Have the Right to Work in the UK
- Have the ability to pass an enhanced DBS check (England and Wales only)
- Be able to provide at least 2 verifiable professional references
- Complete situational judgement and character screening
You can create your MyElder account by clicking this link.
Creating an account is free, and there’s no obligation to move forward with Elder once you’ve created your account.
Elder is an online marketplace connecting families needing care to self-employed carers. We use technology to match you to the most suitable carers and allow you to choose the carer you feel best fits your needs.
We also give you the simple online tools you need to manage care. And, unlike with a care agency, your care agreement will be between you and your self-employed carer. This gives you complete control over the care experiences, ensuring your loved one is cared for in a way they’re comfortable with – protecting independence, dignity, and routine.
You can find out more about how Elder works here.
We recommend all self-employed carers using our platform take out the relevant insurance. We’ve partnered with a third-party insurance company – Fish Insurance to make this process easier for self-employed carers.
At Elder we help families and self-employed carers do three critical things safely: (1) find each other, (2) match with each other and (3) manage their ongoing relationship directly. We enable this through the development of technology and processes that families and carers use. The agreement for care is between the customer and the self-employed carer – therefore Elder is not required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission or the Care Inspectorate.
However, everything we do at Elder is underpinned by respect, transparency, safety, and integrity. You can read our full safety and trust policy here.
You can find our full list of policies and standards here.