Live-in Care in Charlton

Live-in care can follow months or years of a husband, wife or daughter doing it all. The borough's carers' charity, Greenwich Carers Centre, is at The Stables on Hornfair Road, by Charlton Park, so in Charlton the carers' own support is close at hand. This page covers what happens when the family carer hands the day-to-day work to someone who lives in.

When the family carer needs to step back

A live-in carer takes over the physical, day-to-day parts: getting up, washing, meals, medication prompts, and being there if your relative wakes and needs help. The family stays involved in whatever way suits them. Some still cook Sunday lunch, some just visit. If a spouse is still in the house, the carer works alongside them.

Before you agree to anything, the family carer is entitled to a carer's assessment of their own from Royal Greenwich. The Carers Centre can help with that, and with what comes after live-in care starts, which can be its own adjustment.

How much does live-in care in Charlton cost, and who pays?

We do not quote a price before we have assessed. The cost depends on the level of need, nights, and whether one person or two are being supported, and we put it in writing after the visit. Three routes can contribute:

• Royal Greenwich, after a needs and financial assessment. If it agrees to fund care, you can take that money as a direct payment and spend it on a live-in carer. The detail, including how the council treats the home, is on our Greenwich live-in care page.
• The NHS, through Continuing Healthcare, if the person's care is driven by a primary health need.
• The person's own money, with no council involvement needed.

Hill houses and riverside flats

Charlton's housing changes with the height. On the ridge around the Village and the slopes down towards the station, Victorian and Edwardian terraces normally have a spare bedroom on the first floor. The catch is access: a flight of front steps and a steep indoor staircase. A live-in carer helps most where the problem is getting in and out of the house safely, and up to bed at night. Ask the council's occupational therapists about a second banister rail or a stairlift before the carer starts.

On the flat land by the river, lifts and step-free entrances in the newer blocks suit a hoist and a wheelchair. A two-bedroom flat there works well. A one-bedroom flat does not, and visiting care in Charlton is the alternative.

Changeovers, parking and match days

Trains on both the Greenwich line and the North Kent line call at Charlton, so a carer can arrive from London Bridge or from the Woolwich direction without changing. Westcombe Park serves the western edge, and the Jubilee line at North Greenwich is a short bus ride away.

The Charlton (C) and Charlton Station (CS) zones both run Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6:30pm, according to the council's Charlton zone page, so a carer with a car needs visitor vouchers on Saturdays too. Avoid scheduling a changeover around kick-off at The Valley, when extra match-day restrictions apply and the streets near the ground fill up.

The carer's break, near the park

The carer gets a protected break every day. In Charlton that can be a walk in Charlton Park or Maryon Park, or an hour in the Village. If your relative has dementia, the memory café that South East London Mind runs at the Carers Centre is a good outing for them with their carer. Where the family cannot cover the break, ask us about a short visit from another carer, which depends on who is available.

Home from hospital

For most of SE7 the acute hospital is Queen Elizabeth in Woolwich. Streets nearer Westcombe Park can end up at University Hospital Lewisham instead. Either way, a terraced house on a slope is a hard place to come back to after a fall or an operation, and a carer who lives in covers the first nights, when a further fall is a real risk. Call us before the discharge date so we can assess at home. See our hospital discharge and London live-in care pages.

What we can help with in Charlton

• 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