Live-in Care in Elm Park, RM12

Yes, we can provide live-in care in Elm Park, as long as the home has a bedroom the carer can use. A trained carer moves in, supports your relative day to day, and hands over to a second carer at the end of their stint. We begin with a free home assessment, then agree a written care plan and quote with you before the first carer arrives.

Getting an Elm Park house ready for a live-in carer

Because Costain built so many Elm Park homes to a handful of plans, the preparation is often similar from house to house. In the order it usually needs doing:

1. Choose the carer's room. In a three-bedroom semi, that should be the second bedroom if possible, with a single bed, a chest of drawers or rail, and somewhere to charge a phone.
2. Decide where your relative sleeps. If climbing the stairs is risky, the front room can become a bedroom. Ask the council for an occupational therapy assessment for a stairlift, rails or a commode.
3. Sort out the bathroom. With only one bathroom upstairs, think about what happens at night: a commode downstairs, a stairlift, or the carer helping on the stairs, if that is safe.
4. Make space for equipment. A walking frame, wheelchair or shower chair needs room in a narrow hallway.

In the post-war council houses and low-rise flats, the questions are similar. In a flat, also check the number of bedrooms and how your relative gets to the front door if there is no lift.

Box room or second bedroom?

The third bedroom in a 1930s Elm Park house is often too narrow for a bed and anywhere to put clothes. A carer living in for weeks at a time needs more than that. If the box room is the only free space, there are three ways forward. Clear the second bedroom and use the box room for storage. Move your relative downstairs, which frees their bedroom. Or, if neither works, consider visiting care in Elm Park, which depends on having a carer available who can travel from our side of London. We will look at the rooms with you and say plainly if a space will not work.

A live-in carer's week in Elm Park

A live-in carer is entitled to a break every day, and to time away from the house. Elm Park makes this easier than many places, because a lot is within walking distance.

• Harrow Lodge Park on the north side of Elm Park has plenty of space for a walk on a break, and the carer can take your relative there too.
• Hornchurch Country Park, on the former RAF Hornchurch airfield to the east, is larger and quieter.
• Elm Park Library on St Nicholas Avenue is open four days a week and is a quiet place to sit, read or use the WiFi.
• The Broadway, by the station, has everyday shops, so the carer can do your relative's errands on foot.

If your relative cannot be left alone, decide in the care plan who stays with them during the carer's break: a family member, a neighbour, or a sit-in arranged in advance.

Changeovers on the District line

Elm Park station is on the District line, with step-free access from street to platform, so a carer arriving with luggage does not face stairs. A carer travelling from south or central London can change at West Ham or Barking. Away from the station, most residential roads have no parking restrictions, so a carer who drives can usually park near the house on changeover day without a permit. If your relative lives close to the station, check the council's permit parking areas first.

What does live-in care cost in Elm Park?

We do not publish prices. Live-in care is quoted in writing after the free assessment, based on the care needed and whether there are regular night calls. Havering Council may pay part or all of the cost after a needs assessment and a means test. The value of the home your relative lives in is not counted while they receive care there. NHS Continuing Healthcare may fund the whole package where needs are mainly health needs, and the NHS explains how CHC works. Our Havering live-in care page explains the council route, and live-in care in London explains what a carer does.

A family carer who has been looking after a parent in Elm Park can get support from Imago's Havering Carers Support Service on 0300 011 1965, including during the switch to live-in care.

What we can help with in Elm Park

• 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