✧ Live-in care in County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Live-in Care Across County Antrim
Live-in care in County Antrim brings one carer to live with your relative, in Ballymena, Antrim, Larne, Carrickfergus, Ballymoney, Newtownabbey or a village in the Glens. We arrange home care across the county, from £1,200 a week.
- Care within a week Urgent starts often in 24–48 hours
- From £1,200 a week The same rate nationwide, not by postcode
- Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) Regulates home care in Northern Ireland
- 35 areas Covered across Northern Ireland
Live-in care from the Glens to Lough Neagh
County Antrim runs from the shores of Lough Neagh and the edge of Belfast up through farmland and market towns to the Glens and the north coast. Families searching for home care in County Antrim are supporting parents in Newtownabbey, Glengormley and Carrickfergus near Belfast, in Antrim, Randalstown and Crumlin by the lough, in Ballymena, Ballyclare and Larne, in Ballymoney and Ballycastle in the north, and in the villages of the Glens such as Cushendall, Carnlough and Glenarm. Out in the Glens, visiting care can be almost impossible to arrange. A live-in carer lives with your relative instead.
We have local pages for towns across the county, including Ballymena, Antrim, Larne, Carrickfergus, Ballymoney, Ballyclare, Newtownabbey and Lisburn.
Antrim Area, Causeway and the Belfast hospitals
Most of the county is served by the Northern Trust, whose main hospitals are Antrim Area Hospital and Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. Belfast and Lisburn are covered by the Belfast and South Eastern Trusts, at the Royal Victoria, the Mater and Lagan Valley. A live-in carer in County Antrim can be ready for discharge from any of them.
Three Trusts across the county
In Northern Ireland, social care is arranged by the Health and Social Care Trusts rather than the councils. Across most of County Antrim that is the Northern Trust, with the Belfast Trust in the city and the South Eastern Trust around Lisburn. Ask your relative's GP or the Trust for a care assessment. Trusts usually do not charge for the home care they arrange, and people aged 75 or over pay nothing for home help.
Farms, linen and the Causeway coast
Many older people in County Antrim have farmed, worked in the linen mills or lived in the same townland all their lives, and a care home can mean moving far from family and church. A drive along the Causeway coast or through the Glens is a favourite outing. Couples can stay together with one carer supporting both. You choose your carer from matched profiles before anything is agreed.
Care homes locally
Care homes in County Antrim, and the alternative
Our care-home directory lists 29 registered care homes in County Antrim. 24 provide nursing care and 16 support people living with dementia.
If a move into one of these homes is on the table, it is worth comparing it with live-in care: one carer living in your relative’s own home in County Antrim, looking after only them. See what live-in care costs, or ask us to check carer availability in County Antrim.
Weighing the options
Live-in care, visiting care or a care home?
The three choices most families are deciding between.
| Feature | Live-in care | Visiting care | Care home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stays in their own home | Yes | Yes | No |
| Support through the night | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| The same carer each day | Yes | Rota of staff | Rota of staff |
| Keeps pets and belongings | Yes | Yes | Usually not |
| Couples stay together | Yes | Yes | Often separated |
| Typical cost | £1,200 a week | Varies with hours | Varies by home |
Visiting care and care home costs vary widely by area and provider, so we don’t quote figures we can’t stand behind. See our pricing in full →
What a live-in carer does day to day, what is not included, and the three steps to arranging it: how live-in care works →
Funding & regulation
Paying for care in Northern Ireland
Home care is regulated and funded differently in each nation, so the route is not the same everywhere. Here is how it works where you live.
Read our full funding guide →Who regulates care here
Home care in Northern Ireland is regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). They inspect and register home care services to make sure standards are met.
Where funding comes from
Apply through your local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust. Care is arranged and part-funded through the local Health and Social Care Trust, a different structure from local-authority-led funding in England.
How we fit in
Live-in Care Direct is an introductory agency. We introduce self-employed carers to families rather than employing them, so you contract directly with your carer and keep the choice of who provides your care.
Our carers
The people who would be caring for your family
Our carers are spread across the UK, supported by regional care managers. Every one is interviewed in person, enhanced DBS checked and reference-checked before they are ever introduced to a family — and you choose who moves in.
- Interviewed face to face, never hired on paperwork alone
- Enhanced DBS checked, with references verified
- You meet and approve your carer before they start
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Vistorine
Live-in carer
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Brenda
Live-in carer
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Refiloe
Live-in carer
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Gladys
Live-in carer
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Monica
Live-in carer
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Patience
Live-in carer
Our services
Our live-in care services
Nearby
Areas we cover near County Antrim
Free callback
Speak to someone about live-in care
Leave your number and a care manager will call you back — usually within an hour, and always free.
- No obligation. A conversation, not a sales call — and never a call centre.
- A real care manager. Someone who arranges care every day, who can answer properly.
- Just two details. Your name and number — we don’t need an email address.
Or call us now on 0800 368 8558 Lines open 8am–10pm, seven days a week
Common questions
Questions about live-in care here
Local answers on paying for care, nearby areas and care homes.
Not seeing your question?
Our care managers answer these every day. A no-obligation call takes about ten minutes.
0800 368 8558Lines open 8am–10pm, seven days a week See all questionsWho helps pay for care in County Antrim?
Care in Northern Ireland is assessed and part-funded through your local Health and Social Care Trust. Ask your GP or the Trust's social work team for a care assessment. Attendance Allowance is also worth checking, as it is not means-tested and can be put towards care.
How many care homes are there in County Antrim?
Our care-home directory lists 29 registered care homes in County Antrim. If you are weighing up a care home, live-in care is the alternative that keeps your relative at home with one carer supporting only them, and we can explain how the two compare on cost.