Windsor families ring us for two reasons above all others: the house has stairs that have become the whole problem, and the alternative on the table is a residential home that would mean leaving the town. Live-in care is worth understanding properly before that decision is made, because it often keeps both the house and the routine intact.
A lot of Windsor housing stock is Victorian or Edwardian: steep stairs, a bathroom on the first floor, and rooms that were never designed around mobility. Families often assume that rules out staying at home. In practice a live-in carer plus some straightforward equipment usually solves more of it than a move would.
Ask the GP for an occupational therapy assessment as an early step. Rails, a stair rail, a raised toilet seat and a bath board are frequently provided at no cost, and a carer being in the house means those aids are actually used rather than left in a cupboard.
Support on the stairs and in the bathroom at the times it matters
Equipment used properly rather than gathering dust
Falls risks noticed and reported before they become admissions
Keeping a life in the town
A carer who drives, and who is insured on the household car, changes what a week looks like. The Great Park, the river, church, the shops in Peascod Street, the surgery, all become possible again without waiting for a relative to have a free Saturday.
Continuing to see the same people is not a small comfort. It is often the thing that holds mood and memory steady, and it is the part that most obviously disappears when someone moves into residential care outside the town.
Support for the family carer
Many Windsor enquiries come from a husband or wife who has been doing everything and has stopped sleeping properly. Live-in care in that situation is not about replacing them. It is about giving them their nights back and letting them be a spouse again rather than a carer around the clock.
Some families start with a two week respite placement to see how it feels before committing to anything longer. There is no minimum contract, so that is a genuinely low risk way to test it.
Two week respite placements as a way to try live-in care
Overnight presence so the family carer can sleep
One week's notice, no minimum contract, no exit fee
About Reedsfield Care
We are a family run provider based in Egham, a short drive across the river from Windsor, and we are registered with the Care Quality Commission and rated Good. Our carers are employed by us, DBS checked and trained before placement, with an on call manager available out of hours.
Live-in fees start at £1,150 a week for one person with standard support. Complex needs are quoted after a free home assessment and everything is confirmed in writing before care begins.
Frequently asked questions
Do you cover Old Windsor, Datchet and Eton?
Yes, live-in placements cover Windsor and the surrounding villages including Old Windsor, Datchet and Eton. Our office in Egham is only a few minutes away.
Our house has very steep stairs. Is live-in care still realistic?
Usually yes, with the right equipment and a carer who is trained in safe support. We will look at the stairs during the free home visit and tell you honestly what we think.
Can we try it for a fortnight first?
Yes. Short respite placements are common and many longer arrangements start that way. Notice is one week either way.
Would the carer take my mother to church on Sunday?
Yes, going out is part of the role rather than an extra. Faith, routine and the places someone has always gone are noted at the assessment.
Is live-in care cheaper than a care home in Windsor?
For one person the two are often broadly comparable. For a couple, live-in care is usually cheaper because one carer supports both partners rather than paying for two placements.
Who do we call at nine at night if something happens?
There is an on call manager on 07403 862037 outside office hours, and the carer in the house is trained on when to call the GP, 111 or an ambulance.
