24-hour senior care at home in Switzerland

Alternatives to a care home

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The better alternative to a
care home –
with individual care

Many older people want to stay in their familiar home for as long as possible – where they know their way around, feel safe and where their memories are alive. But when everyday life becomes increasingly challenging, moving into a retirement or care home often seems like the only way out. This is exactly where our care model comes in: it makes a dignified life at home possible – with professional support that adapts to the person, not the other way round.

Why home is often the better solution

Care at home is more than just a substitute for a care home – it’s a self-determined way of life. Our caregivers live in the household and provide security, structure and personal attention. This preserves the person’s own rhythm of life – without institutional routines and without any loss of privacy.

What’s familiar stays

No change of place, no upheaval – instead, a daily life that adapts to the older person, not the other way round.

Individual care

Personal support from one dedicated caregiver builds trust and a genuine relationship – something no shift rota can achieve.

Safety and stability

Whether in the bathroom, the kitchen or on the stairs – the caregiver is there before uncertainty turns into risk.

Housework? Taken care of.

We take on all everyday household tasks – for order, relief and a sense of structure.

Often better value financially

For couples in the same household in particular, care at home is usually cheaper than two care home places – with more service for less money.

What alternatives to a care home are there?

If you’re considering a move into a care home, there are several options in Switzerland. Which one is right depends on the level of care needed, the living situation and the budget:

  • 24-hour care at home: a caregiver lives in the household and supports daily life around the clock. The familiar home remains.

  • Hourly support: help with housework or nursing at set times, for example from Spitex (the Swiss home nursing service). Between visits, the person is on their own.

  • Assisted living: your own flat in a complex with basic services and an emergency call system. This requires a move.

  • Care by family members: close and familiar, but when support is needed around the clock, family members often reach their own limits.

  • Retirement or care home: makes sense when medical nursing is the main need and can no longer be managed at home.

24-hour care closes the gap between hourly help and moving into a care home: continuous support, without giving up your home.

How much does the alternative cost compared with a care home?

A place in a Swiss care home costs on average CHF 8’000 to 12’000 per month, or around CHF 332 per day. Residents pay roughly two thirds of this themselves, around CHF 6’900 per month. The amount depends on the canton, the home and the care level. (Sources: Federal Statistical Office and Curaviva fact sheet on care funding.)

24-hour care at home starts at CHF 5’080 per month for five days of care and at CHF 7’530 per month for seven days, with personal one-to-one support. For couples, the comparison is even clearer, because two care home places have to be paid for.

You’ll find the full cost comparison under care home costs and under home care compared with a care home. How care works in practice is explained on the page 24-hour care at home.

Home stays home – with care that
fits the person

A care home offers security – but also restrictions. Care at home offers both: security and freedom. It lets you decide for yourself when to eat, who comes to visit, whether to read another book or simply enjoy the sun on the balcony.

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More about home care

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Compare costs: care home vs. home

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Check financial support

When is a care home still the right solution?

We believe it’s only fair to say this openly: care at home is not the better choice in every situation. If intensive medical nursing is the main need, if constant monitoring by nursing professionals is required, or if the home can’t be adapted and there is no room for the caregiver, a place in a care home may be the more sustainable solution.

In many cases, though, the situation is less clear-cut than it first appears. Often it isn’t about medical nursing at all, but about safety, structure and company in everyday life. That is exactly where care at home comes in, with nursing coordinated with the local Spitex as needed.

Frequently asked questions about alternatives to a care home

Where support is needed around the clock, 24-hour care at home is the obvious alternative. A caregiver lives in the household and supports daily life around the clock, five or seven days a week. Medical nursing is coordinated with the local Spitex.

Often, yes. A care home place costs on average CHF 8’000 to 12’000 per month, of which residents pay around two thirds themselves. 24-hour care starts at CHF 5’080 per month for five days and at CHF 7’530 for seven days. For couples the difference is greater, because two care home places are needed.

The caregiver lives in the household during the assignment and needs a separate room. Major alterations are not usually necessary.

Yes. The trial covers 13 days of 24-hour care from CHF 3’700. After that, care can continue without a break. This gives you time to test the decision not to move into a care home, without pressure.

When intensive medical nursing and constant monitoring by nursing professionals are the main needs, or when the living situation doesn’t allow for care at home. If, on the other hand, it’s mainly about safety, structure and company in everyday life, care at home is usually a sustainable option.