Live-in Care

Live-in care generally works by having two of our carers living with a client, working on a rotation basis. Approximately, every two weeks the carers have a thorough handover, which is also attended by our care manager. Loved ones can attend if they wish to. Live-in care means there’s always someone on hand, day and night, but also that there is great continuity in the care provided.

Our carers are recruited with the preferences of our live-in clients in mind. Some clients enjoy companionship and going out. Other clients need someone to be there for peace of mind, for security perhaps to help prevent falls or getting lost. We employ a mix of contractual and self employed carers and they go through vigorous vetting and recruitment checks. We pay our carers properly, with a salary, pension and regular work, so they don’t need to work elsewhere.

Live-in care work is hard work and we believe in proper support. We have experienced other agencies leaving their carers living with clients for months at a time, with no opportunity to see anyone else from the company, colleagues or management. This can be very isolating for the carer and undermining of the relationship on which the care is provided. In our experience this is particularly true if the client has dementia. We spend time with our live-in carers and clients, seeing them at least once a month, and more frequently if the client has dementia. We supervise our live-in care staff and where appropriate will bring a team together of reflective practice meetings so that the work and the effect of the work on the carer, can be thought about.

On a practical level, to have a live in carer stay with you, a spare room is required. Internet access, showering and kitchen facilities are also required. Depending on what works for both parties, these can be shared with the client.

When Bernard’s family first contacted Kingsmith Care, he was 89 and beginning to struggle with some of his the everyday routines. Mealtimes were becoming difficult, and he was finding it harder to keep up with visits out to meet friends.

We began with just one visit a day. Our role was simple but important: to make sure Bernard was up, had eaten, taken his medication and was ready for the day. A small, dedicated team of two carers provided this support, building a relationship with Bernard and getting to know his routines, preferences and personality.

Over the following eight years, as his dementia progressed, so did the level of care he needed. What began as one daily visit gradually developed into support throughout the day, including morning, lunch and evening meals, medication, personal care and accompanying him to both medical and social appointments.

Throughout this time, Kingsmith Care worked closely with Bernard’s family and the professionals involved in his care. This continuity meant that as his needs changed, we could adapt his care while maintaining the familiarity and consistency that were so important to him and his family.

During the final 18 months of Bernard’s life, he became increasingly frail and his behaviour became more challenging. His mobility and even ability to swallow were both affected by his dementia, and his family made the decision to move to a live-in care package.

Having a carer with Bernard around the clock gave his family reassurance that he was never left alone for long periods. His live-in carers, and the ‘wrap-around’ care provided by our management team, helped maintain as much independence and quality of life as possible, at the same time as monitoring and mitigating the growing risks, of falling, choking or becoming disorientated. All of this, working to bring Bernard along with us, and involving him and his family on his journey.

Importantly, care was not just about keeping Bernard safe. There was still time for the things he enjoyed. His carers continued to take him outside and visit familiar places, including swimming, celebrating milestones and visiting the local Barnes riverside. Balancing risks alongside helping Bernard maintain a sense of meaning and connection with the world around him.

In the final months of Bernard’s life, Kingsmith Care worked closely with his GP, District Nursing team and Trinity Hospice, alongside his family, to ensure that he could remain at home. Our shared aim was for Bernard to have a peaceful and dignified end to his life, surrounded by familiar people and places and cared for in accordance with his wishes.

At 89, Janet is living with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM), a rare condition that affects muscle strength and mobility and requires a high level of specialist support.

Janet needs assistance with her mobility aids, breathing and feeding equipment, medication and all aspects of her personal care. To provide the consistent support she needs, Kingsmith Care has developed and trained a dedicated team of carers who work on a rotating basis, providing Janet with 24-hour care in her own home.

Our carers work closely with Janet and her family, as well as the wider healthcare team involved in her care. This includes her GP, neurological services, district nurses and speech and language therapists. By maintaining close communication between everyone involved, we are able to provide continuity, consistency and reassurance for Janet and those closest to her.

Most importantly, Janet continues to live in the home she knows and loves in Fulham, the home where she raised her children. Despite the challenges of living with IBM, she is supported with the progressive loss of independence and is able to enjoy the things that matter to her. With the right care in place, Janet continues to spend time in her garden and gets out to enjoy the surrounding area on a daily basis.

At Kingsmith Care, we believe that specialist care should not mean giving up the comforts, routines and familiar surroundings of home. By providing skilled, compassionate and consistent care, our aim is to give clients like Janet the confidence to continue living life on their own terms for as long as possible, while giving their families peace of mind that they are safe and well supported.

Mrs Cotton’s husband died recently. Mr Cotton had always been the driver in the household. He drove them to the supermarket each week, and they regularly made trips to visit their grandchildren outside London by car as well. Mr Cotton also made sure any repairs around the house were taken care of, and did the heavy work at the allotment he had Mrs Cotton had worked on together over the years.

So Mrs Cotton needed Elderly Care – help with the weekly shopping and odd jobs around the house. Having discussed her situation with us, Mrs Cotton asked us to arrange for one of our care workers to visit her for an hour a day every day. We matched Mrs Cotton up with Julie. During her visits Julie prepared Mrs Cotton’s meals and had a chat, providing the companionship Mrs Cotton needed while she adjusted to the loss of her husband.

Julie also accompanied Mrs Cotton on the first few visits to see her grandchildren while she got used to and getting out and about on her own and making the journey on public transport.

As things settled down and Mrs Cotton felt able to take on more, she felt she needed to see Julie less often. So Julie now drops in just once a week to help her plan the weekly menu, compile the shopping list and accompany Mrs Cotton on a weekly visit to the supermarket.

Mrs Cotton didn’t want to lose the allotment, so Julie also went with Mrs Cotton to a local befriending organisation who were able to find her a companion to help on the allotment.

Mrs Gray lives at the opposite end of the District line to her father, who lives in Hammersmith. He is now in his early 90s. Since the death of his wife, Mrs Gray noticed that her father had started losing weight. When we met with Mrs Gray and her father at his home, we discovered that he had been skipping meals, particularly breakfast, and spending all day in his pyjamas. Mrs Gray’s job means she isn’t able to visit her father at the start of the working day. Together we arranged for respite care – one of our care workers to visit her father in the morning to help him get up and dressed. While John is at the house he also makes sure Mrs Gray’s father eats a healthy breakfast. John also arranged for a nutritionist to visit Mrs Gray’s father to check there were no underlying health problems and to advise him on a balanced diet.

Mrs Gray now has the peace of mind that her father is up and about, ready to meet the day with a full stomach. She also knows that there are others keeping an eye on her father, who will contact her if the need arises. Now when she visits, she and her father can spend time doing things they enjoy together.

Suzanne works in occupational health at Charing Cross Hospital. Before patients are discharged she visits them at home to assess their needs in terms of equipment and ongoing care to make the transition back to independence. Our care worker, Dorothy, was able to work with Suzanne, while her patient, Mr Setchell, was instructed in the use of walking aids and hoists. As Suzanne’s support was being withdrawn, Dorothy, was able to continue providing support for Mr Setchell. She helped him with Domiciliary Care – his walking aids, taking a shower and cooking food for himself in his kitchen.