Live-in Care in Limerick
Fully managed live-in care across Limerick from Garda-vetted, experienced and insured carers — with someone in place within a few days.
Care usually starts within days, with no HSE assessment queue
Garda-vetted carers, employed and insured by us
One primary carer, with a familiar backup
4.8/5 on Google and 5/5 on Bark
What happens next
We call you back
Someone from our care team rings you to talk through what’s needed and answer your questions.
A short conversation
Which days and hours would help, what has got harder at home, and anything we should know about your loved one.
We match a carer
Garda-vetted, employed and insured by us. Care usually starts within days, sometimes sooner.
Two ways to arrange live-in care
Flex
A carer lives in the home and provides your agreed active care hours through the day, plus the reassurance of a carer resting in the home overnight.
Constant
A small team of carers provides cover around the clock, so someone is awake and on hand day and night. It suits higher-dependency needs.
What do our live-in carers help with?
Everyday support that keeps life at home going.
Medication
Housekeeping
Overnight Help
Personal care
Meal Prep
Companionship
How live-in care works in Limerick
Some of the county's highest shares of older residents are in the estuary towns and upland villages of west Limerick. Nearly a quarter of Glin (24.4%) was 65 or over in 2022, with Foynes at 23.2% and Athea at 21.5%. In Mountcollins, a village of 234 people, the share reached 29.9%.
Across the county, 3,370 residents were aged 85 or older. For someone that age living alone, on a farm in the uplands near Mountcollins or on the main street in Glin, a couple of short calls a day can leave long stretches when nobody is there to help. With live-in care a trained carer lives in the house, so help with a wash, a meal or a steadying arm on the stairs is close at hand through the day.
We arrange one primary carer for your loved one and a backup they get to know, who covers the main carer's time off. Day to day, the carer looks after personal care, cooking, light housework and getting about safely, and keeps up the routines your loved one values, from the first cup of tea to the Alzheimer Society's activity club at the Desmond Complex in Newcastle West. The carer can prompt and remind your loved one about medication, while injections, wound dressings and insulin are left to the GP and public health nurse. Anything else you would like the carer to take on is discussed with the care manager.
Live-in care across Limerick
Live-in care reaches every corner of County Limerick and comes into its own where houses are far apart. That covers the estuary towns of Askeaton, Foynes and Glin, the uplands around Athea and Mountcollins, and the countryside outside Drumcollogher. The care manager works through the arrangements with your family first, from the carer's room to the handover on the first day, so everyone knows what to expect when the carer moves in.
Towns and areas we cover
Limerick city
Adare
Croom
Castletroy
Abbeyfeale
Patrickswell
Newcastle West
Kilmallock
Caherconlish
HSE health region
HSE Mid West
Main hospital
University Hospital Limerick, Dooradoyle
Also nearby
St John's Hospital, Limerick city · Croom Orthopaedic Hospital
GP out of hours
ShannonDoc
Growing older at home in Limerick
County Limerick is in the mid-west of Munster, with Clare across the Shannon to the north, Tipperary to the east, Cork to the south and Kerry to the west. Below the city the River Shannon widens into the Shannon Estuary, which runs along the county's northern edge to the Atlantic, with the main port at Foynes. High ground rings the county, from Slieve Felim in the north-east and the Galtees on the Tipperary border to the Ballyhouras in the south and the Mullaghareirk uplands in the west. Inside that ring lies a fertile limestone plain, and east Limerick is Golden Vale dairy country.
Settlement follows one large urban centre and a long list of small towns. Newcastle West, with 7,209 people in 2022, is the biggest town beyond the city, and after Annacotty, Castleconnell, Abbeyfeale, Kilmallock, Caherconlish and Moroe every other CSO town in the county had about 1,250 residents or fewer.
Census 2022 put the population at 209,536, up 7.5% on 2016. Residents aged 65 or over numbered 33,588, or 16.0% of the county against 15.1% for the State, and that age group grew by 22.5% between the two censuses. The over-80s alone numbered 7,563.
In practice, much of the planning for care revolves around Limerick city. University Hospital Limerick and St John's Hospital are both there, so a family in Glin or Kilfinane has to fit hospital trips in alongside the routine at home.
Sources: HSE, ShannonDoc, CSO, Transport for Ireland, TFI Local Link, Citizens Information, Limerick City and County Council, Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Family Carers Ireland, milfordcarecentre.ie. Checked 23 October 2026.
Local support in Limerick alongside private care
Public and voluntary supports in Limerick sit alongside private care.
- TFI Local Link Limerick Clare lists 48 Limerick services, including routes through Newcastle West, Glin and Kilfinane, and runs TFI Anseo door-to-door trips where no scheduled route runs. Free travel passes are accepted on all services. 069 22311.
- Citizens Information has centres on Henry Street in the city, on Sheare's Street in Kilmallock and at the Desmond Complex in Newcastle West.
- Healthy Age Friendly Homes is delivered through Limerick City and County Council. A Local Coordinator does a free assessment at home and puts together a support package. Council switchboard 061 556000.
- Care & Repair, set up by Age Action, does small jobs free of charge for older people, such as changing bulbs and plugs and fitting smoke alarms. Limerick Care and Repair, 061 324703.
- Alzheimer Society of Ireland lists a Limerick Dementia Adviser, day care at Kilmurry Court in Garryowen and in Adare, and a memory cafe in Dooradoyle. 1800 341 341.
- Family Carers Ireland has a Limerick office at City East Plaza, Ballysimon Road. 061 310434.
Phone numbers, timetables and opening times can change, so check with each service before relying on them.
Setting up care after a hospital discharge in Limerick
Your loved one may be due home from University Hospital Limerick in Dooradoyle to a house in west Limerick where they used to manage alone. A live-in carer can be there as they settle back in. One can usually move in within days, sometimes sooner, so share the planned discharge date as early as you can. The carer follows the advice of the hospital team and the GP, and your loved one's main carer, with a familiar backup for days off, stays on through the weeks after.
Why families choose United Irish Healthcare
We employ, vet and insure every carer, and we arrange cover ourselves when your carer takes leave. Care usually starts within days, sometimes sooner, and your loved one has one primary carer with a familiar backup.
Why Limerick families choose us
Hospital trips from Kilfinane, below the Ballyhouras, into Limerick city take planning, and with a carer living in, the morning rush and the tired evening after are both covered.
A live-in carer keeps up the routines your loved one values in Newcastle West, from the first cup of tea to the Alzheimer Society's activity club at the Desmond Complex.
What families say
United Irish Healthcare have been beyond any of my expectations. UIH had us sorted in a matter of hours. I cannot thank Daniel, Olivia and Jean enough — highly recommend.
Doireann Kate Gough
We use UIH for night care for our Mam. The staff have been fantastic — it is very personal and she is comfortable with her carers.
Orla Daly
For the last 8 months Mum has had two very kind carers fulfilling her wish to stay in her own home. The peace of mind is well worth it.
Verified Google review
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a setup or placement fee?
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Yes. A one-time placement fee covers the work of assigning your carer and setting up the placement. Your care manager includes it in your quote, and a replacement carer never costs extra.
Can I decide which days and hours the carer works?
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Yes, you can specify the days and hours in accordance with your package. The number of days is flexible; a 24/7 package means a carer is available every day of the week.
Will I have the same carer consistently?
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Yes. You will have a designated primary carer, available except when on leave, on holiday, or unwell — when a reliable secondary carer familiar to the family and client steps in.
Does the carer have to live in the home full time?
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No. Our carers have their own homes and may return to them when they are off duty.
Questions about live-in care in Limerick
Our loved one lives alone outside Glin. Is live-in care practical that far west?
Yes. The carer lives in the house, so there is no daily travel to and from visits and a remote address makes little difference. The carer's room and how days off are covered by the familiar backup are worked out with you before the start date.
Can a live-in carer help our loved one keep going to dementia day care in Adare?
Yes. The carer can make sure breakfast is eaten and your loved one is ready in good time, then be at home to meet them afterwards. Adare Day Care is listed by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland, so ask the Society about a place. For the trip, TFI Local Link Limerick Clare runs a route through Adare and accepts free travel passes.
Who do we call in County Limerick when the GP surgery is closed?
Out of hours, GP care in Limerick comes from ShannonDoc, the co-op that also serves Clare and North Tipperary. There is no walk-in, so ring 0818 123 500 first. An administrator takes the details and a triage nurse rings you back. The Limerick treatment centres open from 6pm to 8am Monday to Thursday and from 6pm Friday until 8am Monday. They are Dooradoyle Health Centre, the health centre on Knockainey Road in Hospital, and Newcastle West Primary Care Centre, which sees patients by appointment only. Numbers and opening hours can change, so check them with your loved one's GP practice.
How does private home care fit with HSE Mid West services in Limerick?
County Limerick is in the HSE Mid West health region, which also takes in Clare and North Tipperary. UIH sits outside the HSE as a private provider. Families come to us directly, and care can begin without joining an HSE assessment queue. From the first visit, the carer fits in around the GP, the public health nurse and any hospital team looking after your loved one.
Can we use the council's Healthy Age Friendly Homes programme alongside private care?
Yes. Limerick City and County Council says taking part will not affect any home help, medical card, pension or other services your loved one already receives. Its Local Coordinator links people with public, voluntary, private and community services, and contact details are on the council's website. Separately, Form HK1 lets you claim back tax on private home care, up to 40% at your marginal rate. Ring us on 0818 700 100 and we will explain how to claim it.
Up to 40%
home-carer tax relief at your marginal rate
Relief is claimed on Form HK1 at your marginal rate. Always check your position with Revenue.
