When do I need to hire a carer for an older parent?

The signal that you actually need paid care is usually one of three things: tasks of daily living that Mum cannot reliably do (washing, dressing, medication, cooking), a recent medical event that needs supervised recovery, or her being unsafe alone overnight. If none of those apply, hiring a carer is often answering a different problem than the one you actually have. The real problem is often coordination and worry, not personal care, and those have lighter-touch solutions.

How much does hiring a private carer cost in the UK?

At time of writing, a private carer in the UK costs roughly £25-£35 per hour for live-out visits, with a minimum visit length of usually one hour. Three half-hour visits a day, seven days a week, comes to around £550-£700 per week (£28,000-£36,000 a year). Live-in care is £1,200-£1,800 a week. Local authority funded care has means-testing and waiting lists. The financial scale of the decision is one reason families look for something lighter first.

Can a check-in app replace a carer?

No, and we would not pretend it does. If Mum genuinely cannot wash, dress or manage medications, she needs a carer or a family member doing care work, not an app. What Getwello does is something different: it removes the daily worry of not knowing how she is, and it stops the family from having to argue about who saw her on Tuesday. Often that is enough to delay the need for paid care by months or years, because the family becomes more coordinated and less anxious.

Honest comparison

Do I need a carer, or just a better way to check in?

Hiring a carer is the right call for some families. For others it is the right answer to a different question. This page is for the moment when you are not sure, and you do not want to commit to thirty grand a year for something that might not be needed yet.

Same day, two realities

Is the problem care, or is it knowing?

Last Tuesday07:23

Family · 4 members14 unread

Sarah07:14
Has anyone heard from Mum this morning?
Daniel07:18
Phone keeps ringing out. Not like her.
Chloe07:22
I'm 90 minutes away. Anyone closer?
No reply for 1h 14m

You don't know if she fell, slept in, or just forgot the phone. Your whole morning is now about them. So is everyone else's.

This Tuesday08:42

Getwello

now

Mum is well today

Checked in at 08:42 · Battery 78%

Next visit: Sarah, Sun 14:00Open Getwello →

One quiet ping. She's well. Today is sorted. You put the phone down and get on with your morning.

Side by side

Eight things families weigh up when they are not yet sure whether to bring in paid care.

For…	Private carer	Getwello
What they do	Hands-on physical care, supervision, companionship	Daily check-in, family coordination, gentle alerts
When you need them	Mum cannot reliably do daily tasks on her own	Mum is well but the family wants to know each day
Cost (UK, private)	£550-£700/week typical, often more	£4.99/month for the whole family
How it scales	Hours per day, ramps up as needs grow	Same flat price regardless of family size
What it relieves	The practical tasks	The daily worry and the family group-chat chaos
Mum's reaction (typical)	Often resistant, feels like losing independence	Often willing, it is just one button
Disruption to her life	High; strangers in the house at fixed times	Minimal; one tap a day
What it cannot do	Be there 24/7 unless live-in	Provide any physical care

When a carer is definitely the right answer

We are not in the business of putting families off paid care when it is needed. There are clear signals that a carer (or an increase in care hours, if you already have some) is the right move:

Mum cannot reliably wash or dress herself, or finds it unsafe (slipping in the shower, not being able to lower herself onto the loo).
Medications are being missed or doubled. The pill organiser is half-full when it should be empty by Friday.
She has had a recent fall or hospital stay and is recovering at home. The first six weeks post-discharge is when most private care starts.
She is unsafe overnight, wandering, getting confused about time, leaving the cooker on.
Family carers (you, siblings) are at burnout. This is a legitimate, important signal. Paid care is for the carer too, not just the cared-for.

If you are seeing one of those clearly, ring an agency or contact your local Adult Social Services. Skip this page and get help.

When hiring a carer is solving the wrong problem

The slightly uncomfortable thing we have noticed talking to families: a fair number of people hire a carer because they want to stop worrying. Mum is still washing herself, still cooking, still managing her medications. The family just does not know that she is, on any given day, because nobody has a good system for knowing.

When that family pays £550 a week for a carer, what they have actually bought is daily contact and reassurance. Mum did not need the help. The family needed to know.

That diagnosis costs the family the wrong thing. It costs Mum her independence and dignity (which she values more than they think). It costs everyone money they could have kept for later, when care is actually needed. And it sets a precedent that is hard to walk back.

Signs you are solving the wrong problem

Mum is still doing most of her own tasks but you do not see it day-to-day.
You and your siblings argue about who saw her last and whether she is okay.
You hear from neighbours or friends about things you should have known.
The thing that would stop your worry tonight is a piece of information, not a person on the doorstep.

The middle ground most families miss

Between "she is fine, leave her alone" and "she needs a carer four hours a day" is a long, useful middle ground that most families skip past. In rough order of increasing intensity:

Daily check-in. One button each morning tells the family she is well. Stops most of the worry. £5 a month.
Shared family rota. Siblings see who is visiting which day. Gaps become visible. No more arguments.
Once-a-week cleaner. Cheap, useful, adds an extra pair of eyes in the house without feeling like care.
A weekly food delivery. Same driver, same time. Mum keeps cooking, you know the fridge has the right things in it.
An Age UK befriender. Free in most areas. One hour a week of company that is not family.
One short paid visit a week. A carer dropping in for an hour on a Thursday for a chat, a bath prep, anything Mum will accept. Way cheaper than daily, far less disruptive, and a foot in the door if and when you need to step it up.

Most families who eventually do need full care benefit from having walked through this middle ground first. Mum gets used to the idea gently. The transition is less painful for everyone.

What we would suggest, by situation

Mum is well and the family is anxious. Start with Getwello plus a weekly rota. £4.99/month. If the worry eases, you have the right answer. If it does not, you will have more information about why, which makes the next conversation easier.

Mum has just come home from hospital. Hire short-term paid care for the first few weeks. Set up the check-in alongside it so the family stays coordinated through recovery. Re-evaluate at week six.

Mum needs help with daily tasks now. Hire care. Use Getwello on top for sibling coordination and a daily signal on top of the carer's visits.

Mum will not accept any help at all. Start with the check-in. It is one button, she does not see strangers in the house, she keeps her independence. Once she trusts the system, the conversation about more help gets easier.

Stay in touchOne email at a time. Unsubscribe in one tap.

Not ready, or waiting for Android?

Pop your email below. We'll send our short family caregiver checklist now, and let you know once the Android app is ready. No spam, ever.

By submitting your email you agree to our privacy policy. We never sell or share your details.

Sometimes you need a carer.
Often you need something lighter first.

Try Getwello free for a month. £4.99 after. Cancel any time. The middle ground most families skip past.

Start your free month →

£0 todayFirst month on usCancel any time, in one tap