Live-in Care in Kentish Town

Yes, we arrange live-in care in Kentish Town. A carer moves into the spare room and provides support through the day for one person or a couple, following a care plan we write with you after a free home assessment. Kentish Town is also one of the few parts of Camden where visiting care can be realistic for us, so we will help you work out which of the two fits your situation.

Live-in or visits: which suits a Kentish Town home?

Families here have a real choice, which is not true across most of north Camden. As a rough guide:

• Visits tend to fit when help is needed at predictable points: getting up and washed, meals, medication, bedtime. You also need nothing extra in the home, which matters in a one-bedroom flat.
• Live-in care tends to fit when someone needs help unpredictably through the day, is at risk of falls, is living with dementia and becomes anxious alone, or when a couple both need support. Someone who is up regularly in the night needs a separate conversation about night support, because a live-in carer also has to sleep.
• Some families mix the two: visits now, with live-in care planned for after an operation or as needs grow.

See our home care in Kentish Town page for the visiting side.

Does a Kentish Town flat have room for a live-in carer?

Sometimes. The carer needs a bedroom they can call their own, and NW5's housing makes that a mixed picture. Whole Victorian houses still owned by one family usually have a spare room, though often at the top of the stairs. Flats carved out of those houses are frequently one-bedroom. On the council estates either side of Kentish Town Road, two- and three-bedroom flats and maisonettes are more common, and an older tenant whose children have left may have a room standing empty.

Stairs are the next question. A stairlift needs a staircase inside the person's own home; the shared stairs in a converted house belong to the building, and changing them needs the freeholder's or landlord's agreement. A Disabled Facilities Grant from the council can pay towards adaptations such as a stairlift or a level-access shower. The council's occupational therapists assess what is needed.

Changeovers: one stop from St Pancras

When a new carer takes over, they usually arrive by train with their luggage, and Kentish Town is about as easy as London gets. Thameslink runs from St Pancras to Kentish Town without stopping. The Northern line's High Barnet branch serves Kentish Town from Euston, and from King's Cross on trains via Bank. Kentish Town West, on Prince of Wales Road, is on the Overground's Mildmay line. Nobody needs a car, which helps in a borough where nearly every street is a controlled parking zone. If someone does drive, the resident can buy a short-stay visitor permit through their Camden parking account.

Where the carer takes a break in NW5

A live-in carer needs time off every day. In Kentish Town there is plenty within walking distance:

• Kentish Town Library on Kentish Town Road, for a quiet hour with a book or a computer.
• Parliament Hill and the Heath, a short walk up Highgate Road.
• Kentish Town City Farm on Cressfield Close, off Grafton Road. It opens daily and entry is free, so it also works as a gentle outing with the person being cared for.

After a stay at UCH, the Royal Free or the Whittington

Depending on which end of NW5 someone lives in, they may come home from University College Hospital, the Royal Free or the Whittington. Live-in care works well for a discharge because one carer learns the new routine from the first day: the new medicines, the exercises the physiotherapist has set, and how much help is safe on the stairs. Tell the ward early that you are looking at live-in care, and ask whether a Continuing Healthcare checklist has been completed.

Paying for live-in care

We quote in writing after the assessment and do not publish rates. If Camden assesses the person as having eligible needs, a means test decides what they contribute, and the council's share can be paid as a direct payment. Our Camden live-in care page sets out the borough route.

What we can help with in Kentish Town

• 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