Live-in Care in East Dulwich

Yes, we provide live-in care in East Dulwich. One carer moves in and supports your relative day and night with personal care, medication, cooking and company, with a replacement carer for their days off and holidays. Whether it works in a particular SE22 home usually comes down to two things, a second bedroom and the stairs, and we check both at a free home assessment.

Can a live-in carer work in an upstairs flat off Lordship Lane?

Often, yes, provided there is a second bedroom. Many East Dulwich terraces were split into a lower and an upper flat, and the upper one sometimes runs over two floors with a loft room on top. That gives the carer a room of their own, which is the one thing we cannot work without.

The catch is the way in. An upper flat usually has its own front door at street level and a single steep flight straight up. A carer can steady someone on those stairs every time they go out, which is far safer than managing them alone, but if your relative can no longer climb them at all, the flat stops working for any kind of care. A stairlift is sometimes possible on a straight flight; we will tell you honestly if it is not.

Where the whole house is still theirs

Some older East Dulwich residents still own a whole terraced house, often three bedrooms on two floors with the only bathroom upstairs. Here space is not the problem. The question is whether to keep the bedroom upstairs with a stairlift, or bring a bed down to the front room and use a commode at night. In a one-bedroom flat, though, live-in care is not possible; visiting care in East Dulwich is the alternative to discuss.

Arriving with a suitcase: East Dulwich station and the parking zones

Most carers starting or finishing a placement come by train. East Dulwich station, where Grove Vale meets Dog Kennel Hill, has Southern trains to London Bridge via Peckham Rye, and Peckham Rye itself adds the Overground Windrush line and Thameslink. Buses run the length of Lordship Lane.

Family members who drive the carer over should check which zone the street is in. Southwark's parking zones list shows zone ED (East Dulwich) running Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm, while zone Q around Dog Kennel Hill only operates 11am to 1pm on weekdays. Outside zone hours, visitors can park without a permit, so a Saturday or Sunday changeover is the simplest.

A break between Goose Green and Peckham Rye

From most East Dulwich streets, one of these is a few minutes' walk away for the carer's daily break:

• Goose Green, at the top of Lordship Lane, for a bench and some air.
• Grove Vale Library, on Grove Vale near the station, with flat access and a disabled-access toilet. It has longer opening hours while Dulwich Library is being refurbished, so it suits an outing together as well as a quiet hour alone.
• Peckham Rye Park, a short walk east of Lordship Lane, with the Round Café and an arboretum that is a dog-free zone with a picnic area.

After a stay at King's

King's College Hospital is just over the top of Dog Kennel Hill on Denmark Hill, so it is where most East Dulwich patients are admitted. Discharge from King's into an upstairs flat can be hard to agree, because the ward will want to know who will be there at night and on the stairs. A live-in carer answers both questions. Tell the ward you are arranging one and call us early, ideally while reablement is still being discussed, so the assessment and equipment can be sorted before the discharge date.

Couples who have shared a terrace for decades

A couple in a two-bedroom flat can share one carer if they will sleep in the same room, freeing the second bedroom. That can be a big change, so we talk it through gently at the assessment. Ageing Well Southwark's online directory lists clubs and support in the Dulwich area for the partner who is still independent.

Funding

Southwark Council assesses needs and then finances, and the home your relative lives in is not counted for care at home. NHS Continuing Healthcare may fund care for mainly health needs. Our Southwark live-in care page covers both routes, and live-in care in London explains the service. We quote in writing after the assessment.

What we can help with in East Dulwich

• 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