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What you need to know about overnight care

People’s care needs don’t disappear when it turns to night time, making overnight care an important part of any home care programme. There are several different types of overnight care that suit different levels of care needs, including sleeping night care where the carer sleeps through the night in your home but is on hand to provide support if needed and waking night care where they’ll stay awake throughout the night.

It’s a service that is designed to bring peace of mind, comfort, and most importantly safety to people with medical or mental health conditions that mean they require extra support overnight. This can include people recovering from an operation, receiving palliative care, or diagnosed with a form of dementia. 

The actual responsibilities of an overnight carer can vary massively depending on your specific needs, with common duties including assisting with personal care, administering medication, helping with mobility, and providing a waking service. Carers are generally flexible, and able to adapt their role to cover all of your needs. Most will be generalists, capable of carrying out a broad range of services, but there are also specialist carers who are trained in supporting people with more complex care needs.

Overnight carers will typically expect to spend around 10 hours with you each night, generally arriving around 9pm and leaving at 7am, but these times are flexible. If you are also receiving support from another carer during the daytime, there might be an overlap where one will hand over to the other and provide any relevant updates.

When you’re looking for an overnight carer, it’s important to find someone who has a reputation for professionalism, empathy, and experience. Beyond that, though, it’s also essential that you or your loved one feels comfortable and safe with the carer. Find an overnight carer near you today by searching with My Health Assistant.