Live-in Care in Harold Hill

Yes, we provide live-in care in Harold Hill. If your relative's home has a spare bedroom, a carer we have matched to them can move in and support them through the day, then hand over to a second carer at the end of their stint. Because the carer lives in, our distance from Harold Hill does not affect the care. We start with a free home assessment and a written care plan.

Fitting a carer into a Harold Hill terrace

The London County Council built Harold Hill between 1948 and 1958 for families moving out of London. Most homes are brick terraces, many with a small third bedroom, and that shapes live-in care in a few predictable ways:

• The third bedroom is often small. It is suitable for a carer if it holds a single bed, a chest of drawers or rail, and gives them privacy. Clearing years of stored belongings is often the first job.
• The bathroom is upstairs. If your relative is unsteady on the stairs, we will talk about a stairlift, a commode, or bringing a bed downstairs into the front room.
• Two-bedroom houses can work when your relative lives alone and the second room is free.
• The low-rise flats are often one-bedroom, which rules out live-in care. In a two-bedroom flat, we check the stairs or lift, and how equipment would get in.

What should council tenants do before a carer moves in?

Many Harold Hill homes are still council-rented. A live-in carer is there to provide your relative's care, but it is still sensible to let the housing officer know that a carer will be staying, so nobody is surprised.

For adaptations such as grab rails, a level-access shower or a stairlift, ask Havering Adult Social Care for an occupational therapy assessment and tell the housing service. If the home has been bought under right to buy, the family arranges adaptations itself, though the council may still assess for equipment.

The council is regenerating the Farnham and Hilldene area around the town centre in phases over several years, according to its Harold Hill town centre regeneration page. If your relative's block is affected and a move is coming, tell us. A carer can go with your relative to the new home, and we would review the care plan around the move.

A carer's journey to an estate with no station

Harold Hill has no railway station, so changeover days take a little more planning. The usual route is the Elizabeth line to Harold Wood, about a mile south, which National Rail lists as step-free. From there, buses including the 256, 294, 346 and 496 run between the station and the estate. A carer with a suitcase may prefer a short taxi ride for the last leg.

Driving is simpler. Most residential streets in Harold Hill have no parking controls, so a carer's car is rarely a problem on changeover day. The new carer arrives before the outgoing one leaves, and the two go through the care plan, medicines and recent notes together.

Coming home from Queen's to RM3

Hospital care for Harold Hill is almost always at Queen's Hospital in Romford, and the 499 bus runs from the estate into the hospital grounds. When a discharge is being planned, a live-in carer can be in place from the day your relative arrives home, which helps when the family lives further away or works. Tell the ward early, give us the expected date, and see our hospital discharge support page.

If memory is the concern, NELFT's Havering Memory Service is close by on Gubbins Lane in Harold Wood. A live-in carer can keep a familiar daily routine for someone with dementia and go with them to memory clinic appointments. See our dementia care page.

Help for the family, and paying for care

If a husband, wife or adult child has been doing the caring, they can get support of their own from Imago's Havering Carers Support Service (0300 011 1965), including a carer's assessment. A live-in carer can also look after a couple together when both partners need some help. On cost, we give a written quote after the assessment. Council funding is means-tested through Havering Adult Social Care, and NHS Continuing Healthcare covers people whose needs are mainly health needs. The details are on our Havering live-in care page. For visits instead of a live-in carer, see home care in Harold Hill. For how live-in care works day to day, see live-in care in London.

What we can help with in Harold Hill

• 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