Live-in Care in Earlsfield

Yes, we provide live-in care in Earlsfield, in SW18 and the SW17 streets towards Tooting. A carer moves into the spare room and helps with personal care, meals, medication, the house and company, day and evening, for one person or for both partners. Jackie, our registered manager, or one of her team visits first for a free assessment, and you get a written care plan before anyone moves in.

Will a live-in carer fit in an Earlsfield home?

It comes down to one thing: a whole house, or one floor of one.

• A whole terraced house. Two or three bedrooms upstairs, so a room for the carer is rarely the problem. The problem is that the person needing care and the carer usually both sleep upstairs, with the only toilet sometimes at the back of the house. One answer is to move a bed down to the front room. The carer then sleeps upstairs, and we agree how they will hear a call at night, often with a plug-in monitor.
• A converted upper or lower flat. Two bedrooms can work if the second room is a real bedroom with space for a bed and a chest of drawers. One bedroom cannot: a sofa bed in the living room is not somewhere a carer can rest.
• Newer flats on Garratt Lane. A lift and level floors make a wheelchair, a hospital bed or a mobile hoist far easier to manage than in a terrace.

If the flat is too small, we will tell you at the assessment. Visiting care in Earlsfield may be the alternative, depending on carer availability at the times you need.

Two people, one carer

In a whole Earlsfield terrace, a couple can usually keep their own bedroom upstairs while the carer takes the second or third room. The difficulty comes when one partner can no longer manage the stairs. A bed in the front room then splits the couple between floors, and a live-in carer is what makes that workable: helping the partner downstairs at night and getting the other one started in the morning, and cooking for both. If you want to stay in the same room, ask the occupational therapist about a stairlift before a bed is moved down. We price for a couple in writing, after we have met you both.

Changeover day at Earlsfield station

Live-in carers rotate. On changeover day the new carer arrives with a suitcase, the two carers hand over in person, and the outgoing carer heads home. Earlsfield station helps with that. South Western Railway trains run straight from Clapham Junction, and National Rail lists Earlsfield as step-free category A, with step-free access to all platforms. That also matters if the carer takes someone out by train in a wheelchair.

Where the carer goes on their break

A live-in carer must have time off every day, away from the house. In Earlsfield the options are on the doorstep:

• Earlsfield Library at 276 Magdalen Road, SW18 3NY (see the council's library page for opening hours).
• Garratt Green and, up the hill, Wandsworth Common, for a walk.
• King George's Park in the Wandle valley, towards Wandsworth town.
• The cafés and shops around the station, a few minutes from most streets.

During the carer's break, a partner, a relative or a short sit-in visit can cover, if the person shouldn't be left alone. We write that into the care plan.

Home from St George's, or from Springfield

St George's in Tooting is a short bus ride down Garratt Lane, and Springfield, the mental health hospital, is close by too. After either, the first nights home are the hardest: unsteady on the stairs, new tablets, perhaps confusion after a long admission. A live-in carer is there through those nights. If the ward refers the person to the council's free KITE reablement service, the carer can keep up the routines the KITE team sets without taking over. After a Springfield stay, the person's mental health team stays in charge of treatment and the carer works to its discharge plan. Ring us while the person is still on the ward. We will say honestly whether, and from when, we can staff it.

How is live-in care in Earlsfield paid for?

Privately, through the council, through the NHS, or a mix. Wandsworth Council's Access Team (020 8871 7707) assesses care needs and then means-tests. If it funds care, a direct payment can go towards a live-in carer from us. Where the main need is a health need, ask the ward or GP for an NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist. Our live-in care in Wandsworth page sets out the council steps, and how live-in care works covers the service itself. We quote in writing after the free assessment.

What we can help with in Earlsfield

• 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