Sitting services for older adults
Understanding sitting services for older adults.
When an older adult does not yet require regular home care but may instead need occasional assistance or companionship, sitting services can be helpful as a form of short-term respite for carers or family members. Here, we are exploring what sitting services can offer older adults, their benefits and downsides, when they might be helpful, what is included, how to discuss this option with your loved one, and how to find and arrange reliable sitting services.
At Home Instead, our aim is to help people age positively and in place by bringing expert care to their home. For nearly 20 years, we have been providing the highest standard of care, and creating industry-leading training programmes for our Care Professionals that are accredited by nursing and medical professionals. Today, we are the world’s largest global domiciliary care network, supporting over 100,000 older adults with personalised, tailored care at home. So whatever questions you have about sitting services or companionship, we can help.
What is a sitting service?
A sitting service for older adults is a form of temporary, short-term respite care that provides companionship and help with certain tasks in the home. This is usually provided by trained ‘sitters’ or companions who may be charity volunteers or trained carers, depending on what you need and what is available. It is a service designed to ensure an older person is safe and comfortable when their regular caregiver is unavailable, and can help to maintain their wellbeing by making sure there is always someone around to keep them company.
Every agency and organisation that provides a sitting service will clarify their own offering, but some examples of what this service might provide include things like light housework, reminders to take medication, or encouragement to engage in fun and stimulating activities such as games or helping set up a video call with faraway family members. This is considered a form of respite care, however it will usually take place at home and last only a few hours at a time.
You can learn more about this in our guide to the benefits of home respite care.
Care workers who visit the home as part of a sitting service will usually not provide any sort of medical or complex care, however they may help to ensure the older person’s needs are met and that they feel comfortable and secure. This can be useful if family members cannot visit for a while, or if a regular carer is unable to attend due to a holiday or illness. If the older person does not require any specific help or a carer with a certain skill set, a sitting service can offer temporary respite to care workers and family members, or simply provide companionship to an older person who would like to chat.
You can learn more about companionship services in our guide to companionship and befriending services for older adults.
What are the benefits of a sitting service?
An older adult could experience many benefits with a sitting service, such as:
Safety
Sitting services can provide a sense of safety for an older person, allowing them to feel at ease knowing there is someone around at all times in case of any illnesses or accidents.
Companionship
Loneliness can be a major issue for older adults, with almost 25% of adults aged 65+ considered socially isolated due to factors like living alone, loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and more. In these cases, sitting services can help manage isolation and maintain positive wellbeing for older adults. You can learn about loneliness in our guide to signs of loneliness in older people.
Emotional Support
Many older adults struggle with difficulties like chronic pain, cognitive challenges, bereavement and more, so having someone to talk to can be positive for their wellbeing and mindset.
Independence
While sitting services will not take on any medical tasks or personal care needs, they can assist with basic things around the home to help older adults maintain their usual routines and stay independent.
Engagement
If you feel a loved one could benefit from some one-on-one, individualised attention, sitting services can be a great way to ensure an older person regularly feels engaged in conversation, listened to and understood.
Supervision
If family members or carers feel an older person is in danger of getting hurt when doing things like getting up to make a cup of tea, or because they suffer from cognitive difficulties, sitting services can help them continue doing small tasks like this by themselves when their regular caregivers are not around. More than 1 in 4 people aged 65+ fall each year, so if this is a worry for your loved one, having supervision for them could put your mind at ease.
Medication Assistance
If an older person is required to stick to a strict medication schedule, sitting services can step in to provide reminders for this when regular caregivers are not around in order to maintain their health.
Health Monitoring
While a sitting service cannot provide complex care services like vital signs monitoring, it can offer loved ones and regular carers a way of having breaks without missing any important or significant symptoms or health trends.
Respite
Sitting services can provide respite opportunities for family members or carers who need to take breaks, whether that means bringing in a sitting service in the evenings so they can go home to have dinner with family, or having a sitting service cover for an hour for a regular carer who needs to go pick up the person’s prescriptions or shopping.
Gradual Introduction to Care
If you suspect an older loved one might need a more regular form of home care in the future, sitting services can provide a helpful way of easing the person into this care arrangement so they become used to the idea of having people in their home and being looked after on a regular basis.
Are there any downsides to a sitting service?
Although sitting services are mainly a positive resource for both older adults and their regular caregivers, every type of care will have its downsides. These could include:
Care Limitations
As described above, sitting services are designed for short-term companionship, but will not offer more in-depth care options. This will need to be arranged as a care package that encompasses the older person’s medical and care needs, so for those with chronic health issues, sitting services may not be useful.
Unfamiliar ‘Sitters’
As with any respite care option, a sitting service will involve having a new person visit the home. Depending on the agency or organisation you use, the ‘sitter’ could be a different person every week which could cause anxiety for the older person who would prefer a familiar face, and who may face inconsistent care and disruptions to their routine.
When should you use a sitting service?
Sitting services could be beneficial for older people who:
- Are recovering from surgery, an illness or injury, and may need constant monitoring
- Have mobility issues and may prefer someone around regularly for safety
- Have cognitive impairments such as dementia, and as a result, may not be able to be left alone for their own safety
- Are going through palliative care, and whose regular carers and family members may need breaks from intense caring duties
- Are without care regularly due to family members or caregivers taking breaks or dealing with personal matters
- Feel lonely and would prefer company on a regular basis
- Would like to take part in particular activities and do not have anyone to do these with
- Need assistance with certain tasks they struggle with, but that do not warrant the services of a part-time or full-time carer
Ultimately, an older person can find sitting services useful if they do not have any complex needs requiring specific types of care, but are regularly alone or likely to be left alone for long periods of time in future.
How long does a sitting service last?
How long each ‘sit’ will last depends entirely on the agency, organisation or individual offering the service, so you should always check that what they offer aligns with the needs of your older loved one. Sitting services can usually be adapted to fit the requirements of the person, the circumstances that have led to them needing a sitting service, and the availability of the agency or organisation.
‘Sits’ can range from a couple of hours to cover lunch periods for regular carers, to full day sessions that enable regular caregivers and family members to take substantial breaks. Sitting services can also be arranged as a one-off service to cover on an ad hoc basis, or they can be set up as a long-term arrangement to offer consistent daily or weekly support.
You may find more helpful information about this in our guide to how long respite care can last.
What will happen during a ‘sit’?
A sitting service for older adults will usually involve a trained ‘sitter’ (usually a volunteer or a carer covering for another carer) visiting the older person’s home for anywhere from a few hours to a full day, and providing companionship, conversation, and enjoyable activities.
Aside from keeping the older person safe, the objective of the sitting service may be to encourage independence with tasks around the home, provide mentally stimulating activities, and bring social interaction to them if they cannot leave the house to visit friends.
They may also help with some light household tasks (such as hanging laundry or feeding pets), prepare snacks, run errands with them, help them set up a video chat with family members, remind them to take their medication if relevant, or just chat to them on a regular basis to monitor their mental health and wellbeing, and improve their quality of life.
How can I suggest sitting services to my loved one?
It can certainly be difficult to approach the subject of sitting services with an older family member, particularly if they feel very confident that they can handle things on their own. Bringing up the need for this service requires sensitivity, as not everyone will be open to the idea of being monitored. The name ‘sitting’ also implies the older person must be looked after similarly to how a child would need a babysitter, and while this is not the case, it may be seen as condescending or embarrassing for the older person. It can help to refer to this service as a companionship service, which they may feel more comfortable with.
Begin by having an open discussion about their current needs and any concerns they have for their own wellbeing. Emphasise that you want to make sure they are safe and comfortable at home, and a companionship service could help them to remain independent and live in their own home for longer.
The list of benefits mentioned above could be useful to share with them, and you can also highlight that a sitting service arrangement could give the regular caregiver peace of mind when leaving them alone. Remember, your loved one can trial the service on a short-term basis to see how they like it, and should still feel in control of the ultimate decision about who they spend their time with, and who comes into their home.
How do I arrange a sitting service?
It is relatively simple to arrange a sitting service for an older person, however if you are looking at services run by a charity or a similar organisation, sometimes there can be limits on how many volunteers or staff they have available, which can make arranging this more difficult.
Begin by researching the reputable local agencies or independent providers in your area, and don’t forget to read reviews from previous clients and seek recommendations from any friends or healthcare professionals you know that could offer advice. They may recommend getting a Care Needs Assessment to determine how much help your loved one needs.
If you reach out to an organisation, make sure you ask any questions you have about potential ‘sitters’ to discuss their services. You may want to ask about:
- What happens during a sitting service
- What tasks the sitter will and won’t help with
- Their availability
- The rates they charge for the amount of time you need
- The sitter’s relevant experience and qualifications
- The sitter’s references from previous employment
- The background check process
If your loved one would prefer, it usually helps to arrange an initial meeting between the older person and the companion they will be spending time with so both parties can find out if the arrangement will be compatible and comfortable.
Some charities that may be able to offer sitting services include:
- Your local Mind – A mental health charity offering befriending services for all ages
- Befriending Networks – An organisation offering companionship services throughout the UK
- Age UK – An organisation offering sitting services to help give regular carers a break (you can reach out to their Advice Line on 0800 678 1602)
If you are interested in arranging sitting services, there may be others in your area. Speak to your GP or local social services department to enquire about what may be available to you or your loved one.
When is it time to transition from sitting services to more regular home care?
Over time as the health and abilities of an older person decline, your loved one may require more and more ‘sits’ to help with certain things. Knowing when the right time is to transition from a sitting service to more regular home care, or even live-in care, can be extremely difficult, particularly if you are spending a lot of time with the person and may not notice or realise how much their needs have changed.
You might find our guide helpful when deciding the right time for home care: Do I Need A Carer? How To Tell If You Or A Loved One Needs Support.
When an older adult’s needs increase beyond the occasional support a sitter provides, it is time to discuss more regular home care. This could be the case if your loved one’s health conditions worsen, they begin to find daily activities more difficult, they experience more mobility issues or cognitive decline, or if their safety becomes more of a concern – for example, if there is a higher risk of falls or missed medication.
Whether or not the older person’s needs have increased, it is also important to consider the needs of the primary caregiver. This could be a paid carer or a family member who looks after their loved one. If you have been caring for a loved one on a regular basis and feel you may be experiencing burnout, more regular home care might be required to give you respite. While this can feel like a difficult decision, overall it can be beneficial for your loved one to ensure they continue to receive comprehensive care and maintain their quality of life, as well as giving you peace of mind during times when you are not available to help.
You may find more useful information in our guide to choosing and arranging home care services.
If you are interested in arranging sitting services for your loved one, you can reach out to your local Home Instead office to discuss our companionship service. Our Care Professionals are the best of the best, and highly trained to deliver whatever services you need.
agencies as we take great care in matching clients and carers who enjoy similar interests and are a good fit for each other’s personalities. In doing so, we can create long-lasting companionships and ensure you are paired with the right person to support you. No matter what type of home care you need, we can provide a tailored service that suits you or your loved one.
We’re an award-winning home care provider and part of a worldwide organisation devoted to providing the highest-quality relationship-led care for older people in their own homes. Arranging care for yourself or your loved one shouldn’t be stressful, so whatever questions you would like answered, feel free to reach out to the Home Instead team to discuss your needs.