Live-in Care in Wimbledon Village

Yes, we provide live-in care in Wimbledon Village, and it is often the most practical way to have care here. A carer moves into a spare room and supports one person or a couple day to day, with a relief carer booked for their days off. It starts with a free assessment by Jackie, our registered manager, in the house itself.

Fitting a carer into a big Village house

Space is rarely the problem in the Village. The large Victorian and Edwardian detached and semi-detached houses usually have a bedroom to spare, and so do many of the mansion-style flats. The real question is how the house works across its floors, and the answers shape the whole care plan.

• Where the carer sleeps. A spare room two floors up from the person they look after may be too far to hear a call. A room on the same landing is better. Where that isn't possible, we agree in the care plan how the carer will be alerted at night, for example with a call bell or monitor.
• Where the person lives day to day. If the stairs are becoming dangerous, a ground-floor reception room can become a bedroom, as long as there is a WC or shower room close by.
• Room for equipment. A profiling bed and a mobile hoist need clear floor space around the bed. A turning staircase may not take a straight stairlift, so the council's occupational therapists or a stairlift surveyor may need to look.
• Mansion flats. Older blocks don't always have a lift. A carer living in can help with the stairs when someone wants to go out, but if those stairs stop being safe, we'll say so.

If your relative only needs help at set times of day, our home care in Wimbledon Village page explains when visits are possible up here and when they aren't.

How does a carer arrive at changeover with no station?

The Village has no station of its own. A carer starting or finishing a placement travels to Wimbledon station, at the foot of the hill, and comes up on the 93 bus, which stops at the edge of the Village by the Common. With a heavy case, a taxi from the rank at Wimbledon station is the easier option. We set the changeover time so the outgoing carer can hand over properly before leaving.

Parking up here is controlled, in Village zones such as VC, VN and VOs. If a relief carer drives, they need one of your visitor e-permits. A resident must first get a free qualifier from the council, which can take up to two weeks, so it is worth doing as soon as live-in care is agreed.

The Common and Cannizaro Park

For the carer's daily break, and for getting your relative outside, the Village has plenty of green space within a short walk. Wimbledon Common starts at the end of the High Street. Cannizaro Park, a council-owned landscaped garden with its main entrance on West Side Common, opens from 8am on weekdays and 9am at weekends until dusk, according to the Friends of Cannizaro Park. It has toilets for part of the day, and Blue Badge holders can park free in the pay-and-display bays on The Causeway.

The Common's paths can be rough and muddy, so for someone in a wheelchair or using a walker the carer will usually stick to firmer routes, or to the High Street and its cafés. Outings like these are planned into the carer's working day. Their protected break is their own time.

Two people, one carer

The Village has an older population than most of London, and a care-home place for one partner can mean leaving the other alone in a large house. One live-in carer can support both: full personal care for one partner, and for the other the cooking, the shopping, a hand on the stairs and someone else in the house overnight. The care plan covers both people, so tell us at the assessment what each of you finds hard. It must still leave the carer a proper night's rest. If both partners need help through the night, we'll talk about a second carer.

Coming home after an operation is often what starts the conversation. Village residents are usually admitted to St George's in Tooting for emergencies, and some have planned surgery at private hospitals, including Parkside Hospital on Parkside. Call while the discharge date is being set.

How much does live-in care cost in Wimbledon Village?

We set the price after the free assessment and confirm it in writing. It depends on whether it covers one person or two and how settled the nights are. If savings are above the council's upper limit you will pay for your own care, but it is still worth asking Merton's Adult Social Care First Response Team (020 8545 4388) for a needs assessment, and the GP about NHS Continuing Healthcare if the needs are mainly medical. The means test and direct payments are explained on our live-in care in Merton page, and the NHS guide to Continuing Healthcare sets out who qualifies. For how a placement runs week to week, see live-in care in London.

What we can help with in Wimbledon Village

• 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