Live-in Care in Lambeth: A Carer Who Moves In

Yes, we arrange live-in care anywhere in Lambeth. A trained carer moves into the home, supports one person or a couple with personal care, medication, meals and company, and is replaced by a cover carer for breaks and holidays. It starts with a free home assessment, usually with Jackie, our registered manager, and the one thing we always need is a spare bedroom for the carer.

Why the journey from Lewisham doesn't matter here

On our Lambeth home care page we are frank that the south of the borough is a long way from our office on Lewisham High Street: Streatham, West Norwood and Clapham are close to an hour by public transport. That is a real limit for visiting care, where a carer may have to cross south London several times a day.

Live-in care does not work like that. The carer travels once, at the start of their placement, and then lives in. So a house off Streatham Common is as straightforward for us as a flat near Waterloo. For families in the south and south-west of Lambeth, this is often the most dependable way we can help.

Is there a room for the carer? Lambeth homes, north and south

Lambeth's housing splits roughly by geography, and it decides whether live-in care is practical.

• Streatham, West Norwood, Herne Hill and Clapham Park have more Victorian, Edwardian and interwar family houses, many with a second or third bedroom. This is where live-in care is usually easiest.
• The mansion blocks along Streatham High Road, Streatham Hill and around Clapham Common often have two bedrooms and a lift, which suits a carer and, later on, a wheelchair.
• Converted flats in Brixton, Stockwell and Kennington vary. Some upper-floor flats have a box room that works; some have one bedroom and a steep shared staircase.
• Estate flats on Stockwell Park, Myatt's Field or the Tulse Hill Estate are often one or two bedrooms. A two-bedroom flat can work well. A one-bedroom flat cannot, because a live-in carer cannot sleep on the sofa.

The room does not need to be large: a bed, somewhere to put clothes, and use of the kitchen and bathroom. If there is no room, regular visits or a sit-in service may be the better fit, and we will say so.

Keeping a Lambeth couple in their own home

Lambeth has deep roots. Many of the older residents who need care today came to Brixton in the Windrush years, and Stockwell and Vauxhall have long-established Portuguese communities. People have raised families and buried friends in these streets. When one partner needs care and the other is struggling to give it, the usual alternatives split them up or move them both out of the borough.

One live-in carer can support both. The carer does the lifting, washing and night-time help the healthier partner can no longer manage, and the couple carry on with their church, their market and their neighbours. Each person's needs are assessed separately, and the care plan shows which help is for whom.

The carer's daily break, and who covers it

A live-in carer is entitled to a proper break during the day and an unbroken night's sleep, and the daytime break can be put to good use. If the person has dementia, Age UK Lambeth's Magnolia Clubs run weekly afternoon drop-ins at 204 Kennington Lane, Christ Church Gipsy Hill and the Myatts Field North Centre, where a family member can take them. Otherwise we plan the break around the person's routine, and where someone cannot be left at all, that has to be built into the plan and the cost.

If they need help through the night as well as all day, one carer cannot do both. That needs a second carer or a night arrangement, and we will tell you so at the assessment. Holidays are covered by a replacement carer, planned in advance and introduced first where we can.

Live-in care, extra care housing or a care home

When someone's needs grow, Lambeth Adult Social Care will look at the options after a Care Act needs assessment (020 7926 5555, or the council's online referral form). Besides care homes, Lambeth has extra care housing: your own flat with your own front door, and care staff on site day and night. For someone who has already moved into sheltered or extra care housing, visiting care is usually what fits.

Live-in care is the option that keeps the person exactly where they are. It suits people who own or rent a house or flat with a spare room, couples, and people for whom a move, especially with dementia, would be distressing. If the social worker is leaning towards a care home and you want to try live-in care first, say so at the assessment and ask for it to be considered.

How much does live-in care cost in Lambeth?

We cannot give a fair figure until we know the level of support, whether it is for one person or two, and what happens at night. After the home assessment we give you a written quote. There are three routes to paying:

• Lambeth Council. If the needs assessment finds eligible needs, a financial assessment decides what the person contributes. The council's share can be paid as a direct payment and used for live-in care from an agency like ours. Lambeth refers people to Blue Sky Brokers (0333 034 1101) to help set it up.
• NHS Continuing Healthcare. Where needs are mainly health needs, the NHS can fund the whole package. For Lambeth residents, NHS South East London Integrated Care Board makes that decision. The NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare explains the checklist.
• Paying privately. For care at home, the value of the person's own home is not counted in the council's means test the way it can be for a care home. Our guide to paying for care in London explains the difference.

What we can help with in Lambeth

• 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