This is why we are working with Which? to help promote their Elderly Care Guides. Their guide pages are full of useful information about arranging and paying for care and support, whether at home or in a care home.

You can access the pages that are of most interest to you by following the links below:

Arranging care

Accessing local authority care and support: If your relative is beginning to need support around the home, they may wish to approach the local authority to request an assessment of their care needs. If they are considered to have eligible needs they will receive help in arranging care services. This guide provides information on this process.

Dealing with changing care needs: As your relative’s needs change over time, their care plan will need to be adjusted. This guide looks at what might cause a change in needs and what support is available.

Dealing with a fall: A fall can cause physical injury as well as damaging a person’s confidence. This guide looks at how to try and prevent a fall and what additional support is available, should your relative require it.

Paying for care

Financing care at home: This guide provides information on help with meeting the cost of care at home, through your local council and the NHS. It also talks about the support available to those paying for the cost of care themselves, also known as self-funders.

Financing a care home: Understanding what financial support may be available to your relative, should they require a care home, may seem daunting. This guide talks through the various sources of financial assistance that may be available.

NHS funding for care: This guide talks through NHS continuing healthcare, NHS-funded nursing care payments and intermediate care.

If things go wrong

Challenging local authority and NHS assessments: If you feel that your relative’s local authority or NHS-body have made a mistake whilst assessing their care needs, you may wish to challenge the outcome. This guide provides information on this process.

Dealing with unsatisfactory care: Sometimes things go wrong, where this happens it is important to know what rights your relative has to raise concerns. This guide introduces the various statutory bodies that can assist and talks through the process of complaints.

Support for carers

Being a carer: If you are caring for a friend or family member there is a range of support services that may be available to you. This guide introduces these services and talks through how you can access them.