Live-in Care in Croydon

Yes, we arrange live-in care anywhere in the London Borough of Croydon. A trained carer lives in the home and supports one person, or a couple, through the day, with their own room and a proper break. It starts with a free home assessment, usually with Jackie, who runs the service, and a written care plan.

Why Purley and New Addington are as easy as Thornton Heath

Croydon is London's southernmost borough, and its far end is a long way from our office in Lewisham. Coulsdon, Purley and Sanderstead are over an hour away by public transport, and Selsdon and New Addington have no railway station: New Addington's link to central Croydon is the tram, and Selsdon relies on buses. For daily visits, that distance is a real limit.

For live-in care it hardly matters. The carer travels once, at the start of their placement, and then lives in the house. The journey that makes twice-daily visits to New Addington hard to staff does not come into it, so the south and east of the borough are as straightforward for live-in care as Norbury or Addiscombe.

Will a live-in carer fit in a Croydon home?

The one thing live-in care needs is a bedroom for the carer: a bed, somewhere to keep their belongings, a door that closes, and use of the kitchen and bathroom. How easy that is depends on which end of Croydon you live in.

• The south. The interwar semis and detached houses of Purley, Coulsdon, Sanderstead and Selsdon usually have a spare bedroom. What they also have is hills: steep drives, front steps and roads that climb from the station. A live-in carer can help someone in and out safely, which matters when the car has gone.
• The north. In Thornton Heath, Norbury and South Norwood, many Victorian terraces are now flats, and a one-bedroom conversion has no room for a carer. Whole terraced houses usually do. Where there is no second bedroom, regular visiting care is the alternative to look at.
• The town centre. The high-rise flats around East and West Croydon have lifts and level access, which helps with wheelchairs and equipment, but two bedrooms are not a given.
• New Addington and Fieldway. The post-war council-built houses here often have two or three bedrooms, whether still council-let or bought under right to buy. If the home is a council or housing association tenancy, check with the landlord before a carer moves in.

Keeping a couple together

Croydon's southern suburbs are full of couples who bought their house decades ago. When one of them needs a lot of care, the usual route can separate them: a care home place for one, the other left at home. A live-in carer looks after both under one roof. That might mean full personal care for one partner and a lighter touch for the other, with meals cooked for two and someone else in the house at night. One carer supporting two people is generally considerably more affordable than two care home placements.

The carer's daily break, and what in Croydon can fill it

A live-in carer is entitled to a break every day and to an unbroken night's sleep. If someone needs help through the night as a routine, that needs a different arrangement, and we will tell you so instead of stretching one carer over twenty-four hours. The daily break can be covered by family, by a short visit, or by time at a day service.

In Croydon, the council runs its own dementia day services: Langley Oaks Specialist Centre in South Croydon, convenient for Sanderstead and Selsdon, and the Marsh and Willow services at the Heavers Resource Centre on Selhurst Road, SE25. Places are arranged through 020 8726 6500 and charged after a financial assessment. Age UK Croydon also runs its Memory Tree Café for people with dementia and their carers, with weekly sessions in Thornton Heath and Selsdon and monthly Saturday sessions in East Croydon. When the regular carer takes holiday, we plan cover in advance and introduce the replacement before the handover.

Live-in care or a care home: raising it with the council

If Croydon Council is involved, the route into any funded care is a needs assessment, requested through the council's online form or on 020 8726 6500. If the person is eligible, the care and support plan sets out how their needs will be met. A care home is one way. Care at home with a live-in carer is another. If staying at home is what the person wants, say so clearly at the assessment and ask for it to be costed.

This matters most after a stay at Croydon University Hospital in Thornton Heath, when decisions get made quickly. Tell the ward and the discharge team early that the family wants care at home to be considered, and call us while there is still time to assess.

How much does live-in care cost in Croydon?

It depends on how much support is needed, whether it is for one person or two, and whether night-time care is involved. We give you a written figure after the home assessment, not a guess over the phone. The funding routes are:

• Croydon Council. After the needs assessment, a financial assessment decides what the person pays. Council funding can be taken as a direct payment and spent on care at home, including live-in care. A direct payment cannot be used for a permanent care home place. Croydon's direct payment support service is run by Kingston Centre for Independent Living (020 8546 9603).
• NHS Continuing Healthcare. Where someone's needs are mainly health needs, the NHS may pay for the whole package. For Croydon residents that decision sits with NHS South West London Integrated Care Board. The NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare explains the checklist and assessment.
• Paying privately. The value of the home is treated differently in the means test for care at home and for a care home. Our guide to paying for care in London explains how.

What we can help with in Croydon

• 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