Home Care in Clapham (Lambeth side, SW4)

Yes, we provide home care in Clapham, including help with personal care, medication, meals and dementia support, plus live-in care where there is a spare room. Clapham is around 45 to 60 minutes from our Lewisham office, so visiting times depend on carer availability and live-in care is the most dependable option. We start with a free assessment in the person's home.

First, check which council you are in

Clapham is split between two boroughs. Clapham Old Town, Clapham High Street, Larkhall, Clapham Park and the east side of Clapham Common are in Lambeth. The west side of the common and the streets towards Clapham Junction are in Wandsworth. People are often surprised by this, and it decides who assesses for care.

Look at the council tax bill. If it says Lambeth, apply to Lambeth Adult Social Care. If it says Wandsworth, use Wandsworth's assessment route. We provide care on both sides, but council funding, day centres and carers' support come from whichever council you live in.

Can I get dementia care at home in Clapham?

Yes. Our carers support people living with dementia at home: a steady routine, help with washing and dressing, prompts to eat and take medication, and company. Some of the borough's dementia support is close by:

• Clarence Avenue Day Centre at 44 Clarence Avenue, SW4, in Clapham Park, is a council-listed day centre for people with dementia and memory loss. Places follow a needs assessment; it appears on the council's day care page.
• Age UK Lambeth's dementia service offers free one-to-one home visits for people with dementia and their carers, and weekly Magnolia Club drop-ins elsewhere in the borough. Details are on Age UK Lambeth's dementia page.
• The Southwark and Lambeth Memory Service, run by South London and Maudsley, assesses and diagnoses dementia. Referral is through the GP.

One option is a day centre on some days and carers at home on the others, with our visits fitted around pick-up times.

Georgian terraces, mansion blocks and the Larkhall estates

Clapham Old Town and the streets around the common have Georgian and Victorian terraces, many now divided into flats. An older person may own a whole tall house, with the kitchen in a lower ground floor and the bathroom two floors up. Others live in mansion blocks facing the common, or on the council estates towards Larkhall and Clapham Park, where the lift matters a great deal.

In a tall terrace, the question is often whether to move the bedroom downstairs, fit a stairlift, or use a live-in carer, who has room in a house that size. We look at this with you at the assessment.

Getting carers here, and getting home from hospital

Carers reach Clapham by the Northern line or the Overground at Clapham High Street. Most of the area is in controlled parking zones, and Lambeth sells a personal carer's parking permit for carers visiting a resident in a CPZ, valid for up to three hours in that zone.

St Thomas' Hospital, by Westminster Bridge, is the main acute hospital for this part of Lambeth. Wherever someone is discharged from, Lambeth Adult Social Care handles any council support after a hospital stay. To request an assessment, use the Lambeth referral page or call 020 7926 5555. More on the borough is on our Lambeth home care page.

Short breaks for carers

Looking after a partner with dementia is tiring, and a regular break helps. Respite care can be a live-in carer for a week while you are away, or visits that give you a set afternoon to yourself, where we have carers available.

What we can help with in Clapham

• Personal care, washing and dressing
• Medication prompting and support
• Meals, laundry and home help
• Companionship and getting out
• Dementia care at home
• Support after a hospital stay
• Short breaks for family carers
• Live-in care when needs grow