Live-in Care in New Addington

Yes, we arrange live-in care in New Addington and Fieldway. A trained carer moves into the home, has their own bedroom, and supports one person or a couple day to day, so the distance from our Lewisham office matters only when a placement starts or changes over. Jackie, who runs the service, carries out a free assessment in the home first and writes the care plan with you.

If a few visits a week would be enough, see New Addington home care.

Is there room for a live-in carer in a New Addington home?

Often, yes. The estate is mostly two-storey council-built houses, many with two or three bedrooms, plus low-rise flats. The carer needs a bedroom of their own with a door that shuts.

• A two- or three-bedroom house. Usually fine.
• A two-bedroom flat. Workable, though in a block with no lift, outings depend on managing the communal stairs.
• A one-bedroom flat. A carer cannot live in. Visiting care or a move to a larger home are the options to discuss.

If the home is still rented from Croydon Council or a housing association, tell the landlord a carer will be staying. The carer is not a tenant or lodger and pays no rent, but the landlord should know who lives there.

The stairs, the upstairs bathroom and the equipment

In most of these houses the bedrooms and the bathroom are upstairs. With a carer in the house, someone unsteady can be helped on the stairs whenever they use them, and night-time toilet trips can be planned for, with a bedroom commode if that is safer.

When the stairs stop being manageable, the usual answers are a stairlift or a bed moved down to the front room, which works only with a downstairs toilet or space for a commode. A hoist needs a bedroom big enough to move it around the bed. Ask Croydon Council's occupational therapists to assess before buying anything, and tell us what they recommend so the carer is trained to use it.

Changeover day: getting a carer up the hill

New Addington has no railway station, so a carer arriving for a placement usually comes by train to East Croydon and takes the New Addington tram from there, which also stops at Fieldway and King Henry's Drive. We plan changeovers so the outgoing carer hands over in person.

Parking is rarely the problem. None of the twenty controlled parking zones on the council's list is in New Addington, so anyone driving up for a handover should not need a visitor permit. Check your street's signs all the same.

The carer's daily break, and where your relative can go

A live-in carer must have a break every day and enough rest at night to work safely. If your relative cannot be left alone, the break is covered by family, a short visit, or an activity outside the home, such as these.

• New Addington Good Samaritans run a lunch club, art classes and a tea bar for older people from New Addington and Fieldway, at their Pop In on Salcot Crescent (01689 841176). Ask them about times.
• New Addington Library, in the New Addington Centre at 61 Central Parade, is somewhere quiet for a carer to spend their break, with free Wi-Fi.
• Milne Park, between Milne Park East and Milne Park West, has a bowling green and a cycle path for a walk or a wheelchair push with the carer.

Coming home from Croydon University Hospital

Hospital stays for people from New Addington are usually at Croydon University Hospital in Thornton Heath, on the far side of the borough, which makes it hard for family without a car to be on the ward as discharge is planned. With live-in care arranged beforehand, a carer is at the house on the day your relative comes home, sorts the prescriptions and follows the ward's advice. They can also go with your relative to follow-up tests, including at the Community Diagnostic Centre on the estate. Tell the ward early that you want care at home, then call us; our hospital discharge page explains the process.

How is live-in care in New Addington paid for?

New Addington is in Croydon, so Croydon Council handles the needs assessment and the financial assessment, and council funding can be taken as a direct payment to pay for live-in care. Our Croydon live-in care page covers that route. Where someone's needs are mainly health needs, NHS Continuing Healthcare may pay instead. If you are paying yourself, we give you a written quote after the free assessment. More on carer training and rotas: live-in care across London.

What we can help with in New Addington

• 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