Live-in Care in Brent

Yes, we provide live-in care across the whole of Brent. A trained carer moves into the home, has their own room, and supports the person day to day with personal care, meals, medication and company. It starts with a free home assessment and a written care plan, and because the carer lives with you, the distance between Brent and our Lewisham office makes no difference to how the care runs.

Why distance stops mattering once the carer moves in

We are honest on our home care in Brent page that short daily visits from south-east London are hard to sustain in Wembley, Kingsbury, Sudbury or Alperton. Live-in care avoids that problem. Nobody is crossing London four times a day. The carer travels in at the start of their placement, settles in, and is there in the house. Handovers between carers are planned in advance, so the Jubilee line on a Wembley event day or traffic on the North Circular around Neasden does not decide whether someone gets breakfast.

Metroland semis, Victorian flats and Wembley Park towers: is there a room?

A live-in carer needs their own bedroom, somewhere to keep their things, and use of the kitchen and bathroom. In Brent, whether that is easy depends on which half of the borough you are in.

• North and west Brent. Kingsbury, Sudbury, Preston, Alperton and much of Wembley are 1920s and 1930s semis and short terraces. Most have a box room or a spare bedroom, and many have the space to bring a bed downstairs or fit a level-access shower if stairs become the problem.
• South and east Brent. In Kilburn, Queen's Park, Willesden, Harlesden and Dollis Hill, many homes are Victorian or Edwardian terraces split into flats. A two-bedroom conversion can work well; a one-bedroom upstairs flat with a steep internal stair usually cannot, and the bathroom is often the hardest room to adapt.
• Wembley Park. The newer blocks around the stadium have lifts and level access, which helps with wheelchairs and hoists, but second bedrooms there can be compact. A small room is fine if it is a proper private bedroom.

If there is genuinely no room, we will say so at the assessment and talk through other options, including visiting care where we can staff it.

Two people, one carer

Live-in care is often at its most useful for couples. One partner might need full help with washing, dressing and continence, while the other just needs a hand with shopping, cooking and the stairs. One live-in carer can support both, and the couple stay in the house they have shared for years.

How does a live-in carer get their breaks?

A live-in carer is entitled to a proper break during the day and an unbroken night's sleep. Families sometimes cover the break themselves, or a short visit or a day centre fills it: Elders Voice in Kensal Green runs day centres and a wellbeing centre, and Ashford Place in Cricklewood runs activities and dementia projects for older Brent residents. When the carer takes holiday, we plan a replacement in advance and, where we can, introduce them before the handover. If someone needs help through the night as well as the day, one carer cannot safely do both, and we will tell you so and plan for it properly.

Live-in care or a care home placement through Brent Council?

When someone can no longer manage at home, Brent Council sets out several routes on its housing and care home options page: sheltered housing, extra care housing, Shared Lives placements in a carer's own home, and residential and care homes. All of them start with a care needs assessment from Adult Social Care on 020 8937 4300.

Live-in care is the option that keeps a person in their own home. It suits people who are settled where they are, couples who would otherwise be separated, and people with dementia for whom a move can be very unsettling. A care home may be the better choice where someone needs nursing care around the clock, or where the house simply cannot be adapted. We will tell you which way we think things point after the assessment, even when the answer is not us.

How much does live-in care cost in Brent?

We give you a written figure after the free assessment, because the cost depends on how much support is needed, whether it is for one person or a couple, and whether any night-time help is involved. Who pays depends on a few things:

• Brent Council may contribute if the needs assessment finds eligible needs, after a financial assessment of income and savings. The council explains this on its paying for social care pages.
• Direct payments let you use a council personal budget to pay an agency such as us. Brent's free Direct Payment Service helps set up the account.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare pays the full cost of care for people whose needs are mainly health needs. For Brent residents, it is arranged by NHS North West London Integrated Care Board. The NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare explains eligibility and how to ask for a checklist assessment, often while someone is still in hospital.
• Self-funding, where you arrange and pay for care directly with us.

Our guide to paying for care in London has more detail on each of these.

What we can help with in Brent

• A carer living in, with their own room
• Care for one person or a couple
• Personal care through the day
• Medication support
• Cooking, housekeeping and laundry
• Dementia support at home
• Company, outings and appointments
• Cover arranged for the carer's breaks