Care advice for families, by topic

Choosing a care home

How to shortlist, visit and compare care homes, and the questions that tell you most about a home before you commit.

• Care home visit checklist: what to see, hear and smell
• How to Choose the Right Care Home: A UK Checklist
• Elderly Care in Birmingham: A Step-by-Step Family Guide
• How to choose the right care home: step by step

All 6 articles on choosing a care home

Types of care

Residential, nursing, dementia, respite and specialist care: what each one means, who it suits and how to tell which your relative needs.

• How a needs assessment decides residential or nursing care
• Residential vs nursing care: how do they differ in the UK?
• Signs it may be time for residential care
• Respite care in the UK: short stays, costs and booking

All 8 articles on types of care

Care home costs

What care homes charge, why fees vary so much between homes and areas, and the extra costs worth asking about before you sign.

• Care home extra charges: hairdressing, chiropody and trips
• UK Care Home Costs: What's Included and What's Extra
• How to Spot Hidden Care Home Fees Before You Sign
• Self-funding care: how long will your savings last?

All 5 articles on care home costs

Paying for care

Council funding, the means test, self-funding, deferred payments and top-ups: how care is paid for and what help is available.

• How to prepare for a care needs assessment
• How to Pay Care Home Fees in England: Your Funding Options
• Care Fees and a Jointly Owned Home: Is a Spouse Protected?
• Deprivation of Assets: What Councils Can and Can't Do

All 18 articles on paying for care

NHS funding and health services

NHS Continuing Healthcare, funded nursing care and the NHS services people in care homes are entitled to, with how to apply and appeal.

• NHS-Funded Nursing Care: How the Weekly Payment Works
• How to appeal an NHS Continuing Healthcare decision
• NHS Continuing Healthcare checklist: what happens at each stage
• NHS-Funded Nursing Care (FNC): Who Gets It and How Much

All 6 articles on nhs funding and health services

Inspections and quality

How the CQC and the Care Inspectorate inspect and rate care homes, how to read a report, and the signs of good and poor care.

• What a CQC Requires Improvement rating means for families
• How to read a CQC inspection report in ten minutes
• What do CQC ratings Good and Outstanding really mean?
• How to choose a CQC-rated care home: step by step

All 13 articles on inspections and quality

Dementia

Dementia care at home and in care homes: choosing specialist care, what to expect as needs change, and support for the family.

• Visiting a relative with dementia: making visits count
• When does someone with dementia need a care home?
• Getting a dementia diagnosis: steps and waiting times in the UK
• How to Choose a Good Dementia Care Home in the UK

All 8 articles on dementia

Health in later life

Common health needs in later life and how they are managed in a care home: falls, medication, nutrition, continence and more.

• UTIs in older people: symptoms, confusion and treatment
• Falls in care homes: prevention and what to ask
• Pressure sores in older people: prevention and care at home
• How to manage an elderly relative's medication safely

All 9 articles on health in later life

Life in a care home

What daily life in a care home is like: moving in, settling, visiting, activities, food, and keeping family relationships strong.

• Care home care plans: how families can be involved
• The first weeks in a care home: what to expect
• Personalising a Care Home Room: What to Bring and What's Allowed
• How to spot loneliness in older people and what helps

All 11 articles on life in a care home

Rights, contracts and complaints

Contracts, fees rules, safeguarding and complaints: the rights residents and families have, and what to do when something goes wrong.

• Care home notice periods and eviction: your rights
• Unfair terms in care home contracts: your rights
• Care home contracts: which clauses should you check?
• Care Home Visiting Rules in the UK: What Are Your Rights?

All 5 articles on rights, contracts and complaints

Legal planning

Lasting powers of attorney, deputyship, mental capacity, wills and advance decisions: the legal planning that makes care decisions easier.

• Lasting Power of Attorney for property and financial affairs
• Health and welfare lasting power of attorney explained
• What is probate and what do you do when someone dies?
• Deputyship: What to Do When There's No Power of Attorney

All 10 articles on legal planning

Money, benefits and tax

Attendance Allowance, Pension Credit, Carer’s Allowance, tax and the family home: the money questions that come with arranging care.

• Carer's Allowance: who can claim and how to apply
• How to Fill In the Attendance Allowance Form
• State Pension: how much you get and how to claim
• Using Whole-of-Life Insurance to Pay Inheritance Tax

All 20 articles on money, benefits and tax

Family carers

Support for the people doing the caring: carer’s assessments, breaks, benefits, work, and looking after your own health.

• Carer burnout: warning signs and where to get help
• Signs you need more help caring for a parent
• How to avoid carer burnout when looking after a parent
• Practical tips for caring for an elderly parent in the UK

Home care and live-in care

Home care, live-in care and the alternatives to a care home: what they cost, how to arrange them and when a move becomes right.

• Home care or a care home: how to decide what's right
• Live-in care or a care home: which is better value?
• Nursing Home, Live-in Care or Home Care: Which Is Right?
• Disabled Facilities Grants and care at home in Newcastle

All 7 articles on home care and live-in care

End of life

Planning for the end of life: palliative care in a care home, advance care plans, hospice support, and what families can expect.

• How to recognise the last days of life: signs to expect
• End-of-life care in a care home: what families should know
• End-of-life care in the UK: options and who pays

Leaving hospital

Leaving hospital when more care is needed: discharge to assess, reablement, intermediate care and choosing a home at short notice.

• Hospital discharge to a care home: what happens next