Live-in care support in return for free room and board?

[Jaybee99]

I am 60 years old and in good health, and want to explore the possibility of getting free room and board in return for light care duties. I would continue to work from the home, online, 3 days per week and go into the office 2 days per week, working normal office hours 9 to 5. In return I can offer shopping, cooking(I cook well), cleaning, driving and being available 5 days out of 7. I would probably need to go out 2 evenings per week to keep some sort of social life.

Is this something that people might be interested in? Or does it have too many restrictions. I think the main thing that would count against me is that I am male, I guess..

On the other side, if the OP stops at cooking + cleaning, that’s not much different than what you do for yourself on a day to day basis.

You’re asking if you could do a full time job in return for free board…..whilst already having a full time job.

If someone needs you to live in with them it’s because they actually need the help and you’re not going to be able to offer that whilst being in the office for two days a week and also doing your job from home three days a week.

I think it’s a companion care type role. Pop over to the Elderly parents board - there are a ton of us who would bite your hand off tbh. I still think an agency would be better, but you’re going to find there’s a lot of people who want this.

Think also about basic tech support if you can offer that.

Some of the things you describe are quite time consuming though. For example popping to chemist for prescription can take hours and is in office hours, as can hospital dentist opticians hearing aide and Drs appointments. There’s a reason so many ft carers don’t work.

Would you be happy to live in a home where you potentially would never be able to invite a guest back; so no sexual partners, no family over etc?

Also, if the service you’re offering is being around to offer assistance when necessary, you’d presumably not be able to stay away either (except for agreed holiday times), so again no sleep overs with partners, family or friends?

If that suits your lifestyle, then you may find someone willing to have you live with them, but it’s another thing to consider.

https://homeshareuk.org/

Have a look at this scheme albeit not in every area.

My grandfather has a lodger along these lines but the lodger pays enough to cover his share of the bills...

As others have said - there is a definite market for this and agencies that specialise in this but not at the price point you are offering.

Depends on the level of care required by the person. It could definitely work for the right match.

-Being a male would certainly be an advantage for some clients.
-I'd ONLY go via an agency. If there were any issues, the persons health declined and needed more support etc then the agency could step in
-If you are driving them around I assumed you'd need business travel insurance on your car

I dunno, seems like a fair amount in return for no pay...Certainly, when you consider how much a full-time carer costs
Firstly- its not NO PAY! YOU are getting free room and board!
You are NOT a full time carer. At most I'd call you a companion.

I'd suggest speaking to a few agencies and check the requirements, demand etc in the area. As someone else said, you'd likely need to advise your current job that you are also being paid to do another. I know at my company I'd have to disclose this.

It is relatively unusual for someone with 'light care' needs to want a companion living in. By the time people accept they need live-in care (which is effectively what you are offering, even if you don't call yourself a carer) they need a lot of help.

They are likely to either have dementia, or serious mobility problems, so would need someone around all the time, they would not be able to cope when you're out at the office. And even when you are WFH, you would not be 'available' because you're working at your paid job. Someone with dementia for instance might set off the smoke alarm or wander off in the rain, while you're in a meeting. Their needs won't wait for you to finish work.

I'm speaking as someone whose mother had dementia. She had companion care for several hours a day when she could still cope with being on her own part of the day. When she needed supervision 24/7 it really was exactly that - 24/7. So she moved to a care home.

What if there was an emergency when your at work?

But the person might have an emergency any time. They’d call 999, or not. Which is more likely to be successful if there’s been someone around sometimes to set up the Alexa/ charge the phone/ get them to Soecsavers for a hearing aid review.

Some older people are frightened being alone at night so knowing someone was there would help. Plus your other services. I think it would be useful: just to find the right match.
We hated my mom being on her own at night as we all had to go to work early and couldn't stay except at weekends. She could manage all day but was prone to falling so having someone at hand to help her up would have been brilliant. It only took a minute. We would probably have liked a woman but l am sure there are many men seeking company and light care too

When my grandmother was in her late 80s & frail, the family were told that if she fell we shouldn’t lift her unless we were trained to do so - unless my aunt, a professional carer, was there the rule was to press her emergency alarm & ask for paramedics.

I think the OP & the homeowner / homeowner’s family would all need to be very clear on what he could & couldn’t / shouldn’t do.

Take a look at workaway.info

Some au pair sites also cover elderly care as well as childcare

A quick google also found this site whixh looks to be what you're after https://twogenerations.co.uk/homesharer/

Speaking as someone who has a lot of mobility issues, enough that I’m struggling to cook fir myself, let alone clean, I can promise you that not everyone who would be looking for a ‘live in carer’ are the way you describe.
Im still independent. I still deal with my meds and doctors etc etc. I just can’t stay standing for very long.
Someone who would do that in exchange of board is easier and much cheaper than trying to organise a cleaner that will change bedsheets, someone cooking (near impossible - you end up having to go down the route of prep meals/meals on wheels etc….). Not even going into the little jobs that need doing in a house but d8nt vut in either of those categories.

Overall, people need to be extremely careful of stereotypes re inability to cook/clean house also meaning the person can’t do anything at all.

Our local council offer a scheme like this. Basically free rent in exchange for some companionship and light care. Aimed at any age, but attractive to university students a lot of the time. Might be worth asking your local council about it?

You are paid - your rent and food are covered. Yiu wouldn't work for free.

Thats not enough for Free board

Under the UK government rules, 'free' accommodation is only allowable as a deduction of £10.66 per day from minimum wage, ie less than one hour of work for someone over 21.

So actually, they are NOT allowed to require more work than this in exchange for their board.

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-accommodation

https://www.gov.uk/au-pairs-employment-law/au-pairs

I think you might struggle to find the right person to do this for as I reckon a lot of people who would want live in care would want you to be more available than you are in case of other emergencies. However, if you happened to find the right person, it could be ideal for both of you.

I would love this setup for my father actually. He has a large home he won’t leave and doesn’t need physical care yet but it’s getting harder to get things sorted around the house and he lives alone so if something happened it would be a good while before anyone knew (I live overseas). It would drive him crazy to have someone around all day so this would be ideal for me. I think there’s a place for this arrangement but it will be hard to find as you’d need to get along well

@MaurineWayBack I said it was relatively unusual and I explained why. Even people who (as you say) would benefit from the OP's help may be very resistant to a stranger living with them. My grandparents had mobility issues the last ten years of their lives and someone like the OP could have been helpful to them, but they fiercely resisted help from 'strangers'.

So I think it would be difficult for the OP to find the type of situation he's looking for, but not impossible.

I'm not sure it's legal, don't they have to pay at least minimum wage on top of accomodation?

A young person I know has accomodation with her hotel job, but they pay slightly above minimum wage and then deduct a rent charge, they couldn't consider her rent part of her pay.

I think you'd have more success as a lodger who could do odd jobs than offering care, which just think people need when they need it, not when you can fit it around your other work.