Live-in Care in Ilford, IG1

Yes, we can arrange live-in care in Ilford. A trained carer moves into your relative's home, has a bedroom of their own, and supports them through the day and night, with breaks and holiday cover planned by us. Everything starts with a free home assessment, then a written care plan and quote.

Does an Ilford flat have room for a live-in carer?

It depends on the flat. Live-in care needs a second bedroom that the carer can close the door on, with a proper bed and somewhere to keep their things. In the towers and blocks around the station, from the 1960s Raphael House and Lynton House to the newer Pioneer Point, a two-bedroom flat usually works well, because the person, the carer and the bathroom are all on one level. A one-bedroom flat does not. A carer cannot live in the lounge for weeks at a time, and we will not suggest it.

If your relative's flat has one bedroom, these are the realistic choices:

• Visiting care in the flat. Ilford is one of the parts of Redbridge we can reach more easily from Lewisham, so regular visits are possible when a carer is free at the right times. See home care in Ilford.
• Live-in care at a family home that has a spare room, if your relative is willing to move in with you.
• A move to a two-bedroom home. If the flat is rented from the council or a housing association, ask the landlord about a transfer on care grounds; the outcome is theirs to decide.

The terraced streets off Cranbrook Road and around Loxford are a different picture. Finding a room for the carer is often easier in a house, but many have a single bathroom at the top of a steep staircase, so a stairlift, a commode or a bed downstairs may come up at the assessment.

Lifts, hoists and high floors

One advantage of live-in care in a tower block is that a broken lift does not stop the care. The carer is already upstairs. It does affect everything else, so we plan for it:

• Getting out. A lift outage can keep someone who cannot manage stairs indoors for days, so the carer keeps the flat stocked.
• Equipment. A hoist, hospital bed or commode has to come up in the lift, and the bathroom has to take a shower chair with room for the carer beside it. For equipment, ask Redbridge Adult Social Services for an occupational therapy assessment.
• Fire safety. Ask the landlord or building manager what the evacuation plan is for a resident who cannot use the stairs. Tell us at the assessment, so it goes into the care plan and the carer knows it.

Changeover day in Ilford

At a changeover the outgoing carer stays until the new one has arrived and been through the care plan and medicine records. The station is on the Elizabeth line, with direct trains from Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Stratford, so a carer from almost anywhere in London needs one change at most.

Arriving by car is harder. The town centre is a controlled parking zone, and a carer's car is a visitor's car. Redbridge sells visitor permits in packs of ten single-day scratch cards, bought online and posted within ten working days, so order them before the start date. Each card covers one day, which is why we ask live-in carers not to keep a car at the flat for the whole placement. Blue Badge holders can get some packs free.

Leaving King George Hospital with a carer waiting at home

Most Ilford patients are treated at King George Hospital in Goodmayes. The first nights home are when people fall, get confused or stop eating, and a carer in the next room is there for all of it. Call us while your relative is still on the ward. We need to see the home and know what equipment the hospital is sending. Our hospital discharge support page explains how we plan the first days.

Who pays for live-in care in Ilford?

We quote after the free assessment. Redbridge Council may help with the cost after a needs assessment and a means test, and NHS Continuing Healthcare can fund care where the main need is a health need. We explain both on our Redbridge live-in care page, and our live-in care in London page covers what the carer does day to day.

What we can help with in Ilford

• 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