Live-in Care in Ealing

Yes, we provide live-in care anywhere in the London Borough of Ealing, from Acton in the east to Northolt in the west. A trained carer moves in, has their own bedroom, and helps day to day with personal care, meals, medication, the house and company. We begin with a free home assessment and a written care plan, and because the carer lives in, our office being in Lewisham makes no difference to the care.

From SE13 to UB5: why the journey stops mattering

Ealing is the far side of London from our office. Our home care in Ealing page is frank that daily visits are hard to staff in much of the borough, particularly in Greenford, Perivale and Northolt. Live-in care avoids the problem entirely. The carer travels in once and then lives in the house, and handovers are planned in advance, so a slow Central line or the A40 at rush hour never decides whether someone gets lunch or their tablets.

Which Ealing homes have room for a live-in carer?

The one thing live-in care needs from the house is a private bedroom for the carer, with somewhere to keep their things and use of the kitchen and bathroom. Across Ealing, that is easier in some streets than others.

• Greenford, Perivale and Northolt. Long roads of 1930s semis, most with a second or third bedroom and space to move a bed downstairs or fit a ground-floor shower later. This is the easiest housing in the borough for live-in care.
• Ealing Broadway, West Ealing, Northfields and Hanwell. Large Victorian and Edwardian houses, often split into flats. A whole house or a two-bedroom conversion usually works well. A one-bedroom upstairs flat with a steep internal stair usually does not, and the bathroom is often the hardest room to adapt.
• Acton, Southall and Northolt estates. Council flats in South Acton, the Havelock estate and elsewhere often have a second bedroom, which is all a carer needs. Lift reliability matters more than size here, for the person being cared for and for getting a wheelchair or equipment in.
• Southall's family homes. Many terraces are shared by several generations, so the spare room may already be taken. We will talk it through at the assessment.

If there is genuinely no room, we will say so and talk through other routes, including our supported living home in Uxbridge.

Couples who want to stay together

Live-in care is at its most useful when one partner needs a lot of help and the other needs a little. One carer can give full personal care to one partner while cooking for both, helping the other with the stairs and the shopping, and being in the house at night. Ealing's own charging rules also matter here: when a couple owns their home and one partner still lives in it, the council does not count its value if the other partner needs residential care.

Who covers the carer's daily break and holidays?

A live-in carer needs a proper break each day and an unbroken night's sleep. Families sometimes cover the break themselves. Others use a day out: the council's Michael Flanders Centre in Acton supports older people through a support plan after an adult social care assessment, and the Age UK Ealing Wellbeing Day Centre in Greenford runs on Mondays and Thursdays for people who manage their own personal care. When the carer takes holiday, we arrange a replacement in advance. If someone needs help through the night as well as the day, one carer cannot safely do both, and we will say so and plan for it properly.

Live-in care or an Ealing care home?

When someone can no longer manage alone, Ealing Council's route starts with a needs assessment through the Social Care Advice and Referral Centre on 020 8825 8000, or online through the council's adult social care referral page. The outcome might be care at home, a care home placement, or something in between.

The financial side is different for each. For care at home, the council does not count the value of the home you live in. For a care home, the value of your home can count, unless a partner still lives there, and the council offers deferred payment agreements so a house does not have to be sold straight away. That difference is one reason families in Ealing look at live-in care before a residential placement. A care home can still be the better answer where someone needs nursing around the clock or the house cannot be adapted, and we will tell you if we think that is the case.

How much does live-in care cost in Ealing?

We give you a written figure after the free assessment, because the cost depends on how much help is needed, whether it is for one person or a couple, and whether there are disturbed nights. Funding comes from one or more of these:

• Ealing Council, after a needs assessment and a financial assessment. The council's self-funder guidance explains the £23,250 limit: above it in savings and assets, you pay the full cost. Savings over £14,250 are counted as tariff income.
• A direct payment, where the council's personal budget is paid to you to spend on an agency such as us.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare, which pays in full where needs are mainly health needs. For Ealing residents it is arranged by NHS North West London Integrated Care Board; the NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare explains how to ask for a checklist, often before discharge from Ealing Hospital or Hammersmith.
• Paying privately, arranged directly with us. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested and can help with the cost.

Our guide to paying for care in London goes through each in more detail.

What we can help with in Ealing

• 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