Live-in Care in Highgate, N6

Yes, we provide live-in care in Highgate, and it is usually the most practical way for us to care for someone here. A carer moves into a spare bedroom and supports one person or a couple through the day, under a care plan written after a free home assessment. Highgate's larger houses often have the room a live-in carer needs.

A carer's room in a house on several floors

On the Camden side of Highgate, many older owner-occupiers live in period houses and cottages built over several storeys. Space is rarely the problem; distance inside the house can be. If the only free room is two floors above the person's bedroom, the carer needs a reliable way to hear them, such as a plug-in monitor or a pendant alarm, and the plan has to say what happens if help is needed at night. If someone needs help most nights, that is a different arrangement from standard live-in care, and we discuss it with you openly.

The flats on the Holly Lodge Estate are a different case. Many are compact, and live-in care there only works with a genuine second bedroom.

Stairs, stairlifts and moving downstairs

The stairs that suited a family for forty years can become the main risk after a fall or a stroke. There are three usual answers, and the right one depends on the house:

• A stairlift, if the staircase is straight or can take a curved rail. A Disabled Facilities Grant, applied for through the council, can help with the cost of a stairlift and other adaptations.
• Living on one floor, with a bed moved into a ground-floor room and a commode or a downstairs shower room.
• A hoist and a profiling bed, for someone who can no longer bear weight. One live-in carer can use some equipment safely alone; transfers that need two people need extra cover, and we will say so.

Does live-in care work for a couple in Highgate?

It suits many Highgate couples well, because a large house often holds two people who want to stay together in the home they have lived in for decades. One carer can provide personal care for the partner who needs it and support the other with meals, shopping and getting out. The alternative is often a care home place for one partner, which can mean a move away from the area and the other partner living alone.

Changeovers on a hill

Highgate's stations are all at the edges. Archway (Northern line) is at the foot of Highgate Hill, Highgate station is over the border in Haringey, and Gospel Oak (Overground) is a short walk from the foot of Highgate West Hill. For a carer arriving with a suitcase, a bus or a taxi up the hill is often easier than walking. If a family member drives the carer in, check which council's parking rules apply: on Camden streets the resident buys a short-stay visitor permit through their Camden account.

Breaks and outings on the Highgate side of the Heath

A live-in carer takes a break away from work every day. Lauderdale House, an arts centre in a sixteenth-century house in Waterlow Park, has a café opening onto the park. Kenwood House stands on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, with its own café and gardens. The village shops are at the top of the hill.

The same places make good outings for the person being cared for, but the slopes are steep. For someone who cannot manage them, London's Taxicard scheme subsidises taxi and minicab journeys for people who find other transport very difficult. Eligibility usually rests on a mobility-related disability benefit or a mobility assessment.

Funding

We quote in writing after the assessment and do not publish prices. Owners of a Highgate house should know how the means test treats it: for care at home, the house they live in is not counted, though savings and income are. Council help on the Camden side starts with a referral through Camden's adult social care form; the details are on our Camden live-in care page. NHS Continuing Healthcare is assessed separately and is not means-tested.

What we can help with in Highgate

• 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