Care at Home in Winchmore Hill, N21

Yes, we provide care in Winchmore Hill, usually as live-in care, where a carer lives in the house and is on hand through the day. Winchmore Hill has no Tube station and is well over an hour from our Lewisham office, so we can only offer regular visits if we have a carer free who can reach you. Ask us. We start with a free home assessment and a written plan.

A village green with suburbs around it

Winchmore Hill grew out of a hamlet around the Green, which is still its centre. The Green has shops and restaurants and is the heart of a conservation area. From there, Wades Hill, Church Hill and Vicars Moor Lane climb through streets of Edwardian and interwar family houses, many on generous plots. Broad Walk is known locally for its large detached houses. Green Lanes forms the eastern edge.

Some of the older landmarks are still in use. The Friends' Meeting House on Church Hill dates from 1688 and was rebuilt in 1790; Luke Howard, the Quaker who gave clouds their names, is buried there. St Paul's Church stands on land that once belonged to the Grovelands estate, and Grovelands Park borders N21 to the west. To the north, Highlands Village is housing built on the site of the old Highlands Hospital, which closed in 1993.

Front steps, two storeys and the bathroom upstairs

Most homes here are houses, not flats, so lifts are rarely the issue. The issues are steps up to the front door, a full staircase and a bathroom on the first floor. They tend to arrive in that order as someone becomes frailer. In practice it usually means:

• a stairlift, or moving the bedroom downstairs, before the stairs become dangerous
• a bathroom adaptation, such as a level-access shower or a bath lift, which Enfield's occupational therapists can assess
• a rail or a ramp at the front door, so getting out to the Green stays possible

Carers can help safely in the meantime, and we write the current arrangements into the care plan. A house of this size almost always has a bedroom to spare, which is what live-in care needs.

Can carers actually get to Winchmore Hill without the Tube?

Yes, but it takes time. Winchmore Hill and Grange Park stations are on the Great Northern Hertford Loop from Moorgate. The W9 runs from Southgate station through Winchmore Hill Green and Highlands Village to Chase Farm Hospital. The 125 links Winchmore Hill with Southgate and Finchley, the 329 runs along Green Lanes, and the 456 runs from the Green and Winchmore Hill station to North Middlesex Hospital. That is a workable network for a carer who lives in north London, and a long one for a carer coming from Lewisham. It is why we usually suggest live-in care here and only take on visits when we can staff them properly.

Can Enfield Council help pay for care in Winchmore Hill?

Possibly. Start with a needs assessment from Enfield Adult Social Care. Phone the Single Point of Access on 020 8379 1001, or use the council's online form via gov.uk. If needs are eligible, a means test sets the contribution, and any council funding can come as a direct payment so you choose the agency. Our Enfield home care page explains the council route, and we give a written quote after our own assessment.

Short breaks and support for families

If a husband or wife is the main carer, they are entitled to a carer's assessment, carried out for the council by Enfield Carers Centre (020 8366 3677). Age UK Enfield offers information and advice, home-based support and Memory Care Navigators for people after a dementia diagnosis. We provide respite care as a live-in carer for a week or two, or a sit-in for a few hours.

Services in Winchmore Hill

Everyday care: personal care, medication support, home help and companionship, including a walk in Grovelands Park.
Round-the-clock and specialist care: live-in care for individuals and couples, dementia care, complex care and palliative care.
Short-term care: respite, sit-in, help after hospital and nail care, depending on carer availability.

What we can help with in Winchmore Hill

• 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