Home Care in Ladywell, SE13 and SE4

Yes, we provide home care in Ladywell, from a single morning visit to full live-in care. Our office is on Lewisham High Street, one stop from Ladywell station, so this is one of the closest neighbourhoods we cover, though visit times still depend on which carers are free. Jackie, our registered manager, starts with a free home assessment and a written care plan.

Coming home from Lewisham Hospital

University Hospital Lewisham sits beside Ladywell Fields, so for Ladywell families the journey home after an admission is a short one. That closeness is useful, but the first days at home still need planning.

Lewisham Council offers free enablement for up to six weeks after a hospital stay, and the hospital discharge team decides eligibility while the discharge is being arranged. If more help is needed after that, the council carries out a care and financial assessment. Some families also pay privately for extra visits alongside enablement, or once it ends. Ring us while the discharge date is still being set, and we can tell you honestly whether we can cover the visits you need.

Steep stairs in a conservation area

Most of Ladywell is late Victorian. The houses on Vicars Hill, Algernon Road, Algiers Road, Embleton Road and the streets climbing towards Hilly Fields were largely put up by one builder, Samuel J. Jerrard, and the area became a conservation area in 2010. They are attractive houses with steep, narrow staircases, and the bathroom is almost always upstairs.

Many have been split into flats, where an upper-floor flat means a shared stair and no lift. Once a person can no longer manage those stairs, care at home usually means a bed on the ground floor, a commode or wet room, or a stairlift if the staircase is wide enough. An occupational therapist can advise on the equipment. We plan visits around whatever layout the house ends up with. There are also post-war council flats in Ladywell, and in those the lift matters as much as the stairs.

The dementia day service on Dressington Avenue

Ladywell has one of the council's own dementia services. The Ladywell Dementia Day Service runs at the Ladywell Centre, 148 Dressington Avenue (SE4 1JF), for people with mild to advanced dementia. It is fully wheelchair accessible and has parking on site. Places go through Lewisham Adult Social Care, and the council lists it on its day opportunities page.

Day centre days and home care fit together well. A carer can help with washing, dressing and breakfast before the transport comes and settle the person back in afterwards. On the days at home, longer dementia care visits keep the routine going.

How do I get a Lewisham Council care assessment for someone in Ladywell?

Start with the council's online 10-minute wellbeing self-assessment, linked from its assessment page, or ring Lewisham Adult Social Care on 020 8314 7777. If someone is already on a ward at Lewisham Hospital, the assessment usually starts there as part of discharge planning, so ask the ward before you fill anything in. If you want to go in person, Laurence House in Catford is one stop down the Hayes line from Ladywell. If you are the family member doing most of the caring, ask for a carer's assessment too; on Tuesdays the council's carers' drop-in hub runs at the Ladywell Centre on Dressington Avenue.

We publish no prices. We quote in writing after our own assessment. Our Lewisham home care page covers the rest of the borough route, including NHS Continuing Healthcare.

Live-in care and short breaks

A whole terraced house in Ladywell usually has the spare bedroom a live-in carer needs, and one carer can support a couple. A one-bedroom conversion usually does not, so the answer there is a pattern of visits. If a family carer needs a week away, we can arrange a short live-in stay or extra visits as respite care.

Care we arrange in Ladywell

• Hospital discharge
• Personal care
• Dementia care
• Medication support
• Live-in care
• Companionship
• Respite care
• Nail care

What we can help with in Ladywell

• 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