Live-in Care in Kennington

Yes, we arrange live-in care in Kennington. One of our carers moves into a spare room in the home and supports the person, or a couple, with washing, dressing, medication, meals and company to a written care plan, with a break every day and cover when they are off. Jackie, our registered manager, starts with a free assessment at the house or flat, and from there we can tell you whether the home works for a carer living in.

Which floor should the carer sleep on?

In Kennington the room question is often less about whether there is a spare bedroom and more about where it is. The late Georgian and early Victorian houses around Walcot Square, St Mary's Gardens and Cleaver Square run over three or four floors, with one room or two on each. A carer sleeping two floors above the person may not hear them get up at 3am.

At the assessment we look at three things together: where the person sleeps, where the bathroom is, and which room is left for the carer. Sometimes the answer is to bring the person's bed down a floor so that bedroom, bathroom and carer's room sit close together. Narrow, turning staircases in these houses can make a stairlift awkward to fit, so if one is being considered, ask Lambeth Adult Social Care for an occupational therapy visit before anyone orders anything.

Cottages, conversions and estate flats

• Duchy of Cornwall homes around Courtenay Square, Denny Crescent and Cardigan Street are smaller and lower. A two-bedroom cottage or flat there can suit a live-in carer well, with less climbing for everyone.
• Houses split into flats on Kennington Road and the side streets vary. A lower flat with a box room may work; a top-floor flat with one bedroom will not.
• Estate flats, including the Cotton Gardens towers, are mostly one or two bedrooms. With two, live-in care is possible and the lift does the work of the stairs.

If the home only has one bedroom, a live-in carer cannot stay, because they need a room of their own to sleep and rest in. Our visiting home care in Kennington is then the place to start.

Changeover day at Kennington and Oval

When one live-in carer finishes and the next arrives, they usually travel with a suitcase on public transport. Kennington station is on both branches of the Northern line, and Oval is one stop south, so it is a straightforward arrival from most of London. Check TfL's step-free information before relying on either station with a wheelchair; for trips out, the buses along Kennington Road are often easier.

Family who drive over to help with a handover need to know the parking rules. Lambeth residents in a controlled parking zone can buy daily visitor parking vouchers, which are now virtual and are activated against the car's registration. They work only in residents' and shared-use bays in the person's own zone, a household can have up to 50 in a year, and the council asks for proof of address that it can take up to 10 working days to approve. Set the account up before the first changeover, not on the morning of it. Vouchers do not cover parking inside a council estate, which needs a separate estate visitor e-permit.

Coming home from St Thomas'

St Thomas' Hospital is the nearest A&E for Kennington, so most discharges here come from there. A carer living in suits the first weeks after a fall or an operation, when someone is unsteady at night and the stairs in a Georgian house are the riskiest part of the day. Tell the ward early that you are planning live-in care, and see how our hospital discharge support works.

Can one carer look after both my parents in Kennington?

Often, yes, and the house usually decides how. In a Duchy of Cornwall cottage the couple and the carer can be on one or two floors, which makes it simpler. In a four-storey Georgian house, the couple may need to move their bedroom down so that the carer is close to both of them. One live-in carer can take on the personal care for the partner who needs it and the cooking, shopping and appointments for both, and we write down who is helped with what. If both partners need two people to help them move, for example with a hoist, one carer is not enough, and we will say so at the assessment.

Funding and the next step

Kennington residents go through Lambeth Council for a needs assessment and any council contribution, and that route is set out on our Lambeth live-in care page. Where the needs are mainly health needs, the NHS may pay through Continuing Healthcare, so ask the GP or the ward for a checklist. We give a written quote after the free assessment. See also live-in care in London.

What we can help with in Kennington

• 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