Care home and nursing home | Information and advice
Explore our comprehensive care advice to help understand your options. Get clear, expert guidance on important topics like choosing a care home, understanding costs, and planning for care. Our advice is drawn from over 20 years of experience helping thousands of people find care for a loved one.
Planning for care
Explore how to plan for older person care. This section provides insights into the care options available to older people, the shape of the care home sector in the UK, and advice on how to plan for older person care needs. We’ve also curated a list of other organisations that you might find useful.
Care home costs & funding
Explore the cost of care services for older people and the options that are available to fund that care. This section provides an overview of what care homes cost, circumstances under which your local authority or the NHS will pay for some or all of that care, and the benefits that people are entitled to in their old age.
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Finding a care home
Explore the different types of care homes that are available to older people. Care homes are first and foremost a person’s home, and it’s important to choose an environment that will suit a person well. This section provides insights into how care homes cater for both the care needs of residents as well as their personal interests and preferences, to help you choose the right care home.
Life in a care home
Explore what daily life is like in a care home. Moving into a care home is a big decision and can feel daunting. This section provides insights into the activities, social interactions, and the overall environment within care homes. It can help you understand what to expect from moving into a care home and can help you and your family feel more confident about taking this next step.
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Dementia
Around 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 have dementia. There are many different types of dementia and a third of people with the condition are undiagnosed. Explore this section to learn about the different types of dementia, their signs and symptoms and how to care and support a person with dementia.
Health conditions & disabilities
This section provides an overview of some of the most common conditions and disabilities experienced by older people. Explore this section to better understand those conditions and put yourself in a better position to be able to support and care for a loved one.
Legal advice
Many older people may want to take legal steps to ensure that their wishes are respected and needs are catered for as they age. This section provides an overview of the most common areas in which older people get legal support, so that you can decide whether these areas are relevant to you and if so can start to plan accordingly.
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When is the right time to move into a care home?Care needs assessment 2026 | What to expect and how to prepareDischarge from hospital to a care home | 2026Care home or home care? Pros and cons explainedWhat is the average age to go into a care home?5 signs your parent needs to move to a care homeWhat is respite care? | Benefits and how to arrangeHealth and social care advocate: Do I need one?How to plan your care in advanceWhat is adult social care and who is it for? A guide for familiesWhat is a care plan? | An example of a care plan at a care homeWhat are the 6 Cs of care: Examples and why they are importantCommonly asked questions about care homesCare home facts & stats | Settings, population & workforceCare home trends | 2026What is the CQC (Care Quality Commission)?What does the Care Inspectorate do? Scotland inspections and ratingsCare Inspectorate Wales: Care home inspection reports and CIW rating Financial advice in later life: Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA)Choosing a dementia care home: NaDCAS accreditationAdopt a Grandparent: Bringing generations together in care homesIf things go wrong with care: The role of the Social Care OmbudsmanCare homes | UK Charities, Regulators and Care AssociationsReport | Caring Britain: How demand for care homes is changingReport | Caring Britain: How care home reviews are shaping choiceReport | Caring Britain: How the care home landscape is changingDaughters take on most of the burden of arranging care for parentsComplex care | Meaning, costs and fundingCare Helpline: We’ve ‘all had cries after certain phone calls’Do care homes take serving and former prisoners?A history of care homes
Care home costs 2026: How much do you pay?Who pays for care home fees when savings run out? 2026Care home fees advice 2026 | How to payCan putting property into a trust avoid care home fees? 2026Tenants in Common 2026 | How to avoid care home feesCan I be held responsible for my parent’s care home fees?Benefits you can claim in a care home in 2026Do people with dementia have to pay care home fees? | 2026Care home top up fees 2026: When are they unlawful?Are care home fees all-inclusive? 2026Does a Life Interest Trust avoid care home fees? | 2026How much is a care home near me? | 2026What benefits can you claim when your partner moves into a care home?5 tips to help you pay for a care home in 2026Attendance Allowance in care homes 2026 | Eligibility and how to claimPersonal Expenses Allowance (PEA) in care homes – 2026Financial assessment for care home fees in 2026Guide to local authority funding for care homesIs live-in home care cheaper than a care home in 2026?Is a care home cheaper than a nursing home in 2026?Equity release for care home feesCare fees annuity | Payment plan for care home fees 2026Using an immediate needs annuity to pay for careDeferred Payment Agreement to pay for care home feesDo I pay council tax if I move to a care home in 2026?Care home fees: Planning a care budget | 2026Changes in circumstances to report when claiming benefits in 2026Who pays for respite care? | 2026Do I have to pay for prescriptions if I’m disabled?Care home prices and funding 2026 | Who pays for what?Who is responsible for unpaid care home fees after death in 2026?Deprivation of assets to avoid paying for care home fees | 2026Minimum Income Amount (MIA) | Care homes in WalesWhat is the 7 year rule for care home fees? | Myth or factJointly-owned properties and care home fees – 2026What are top-up fees in a care home? 2026NHS-funded nursing care (FNC) 2026 | Eligibility and ratesNHS continuing healthcare (CHC) 2026 | EligibilityNHS continuing healthcare: How to appeal a decision in 2026Paying for a care home in England | 2026Paying for a care home in Scotland | 2026Paying for a care home in Wales | 2026Paying for a care home in Northern Ireland | 2026Care home cost guide to London (2026): Fees and fundingHow much is the State Pension in 2026?Care home costs 2026: How much do you pay? (Easy Read)Care home cap | 2026Do you lose your state pension when you move to a care home in 2026?
Types of care homesWhat types of care are in care homes?How to find and choose a care homeChoosing a care home checklist | Questions to ask10 tips for choosing a care homeFind out the top care homes in the UK in 2026How can I find good dementia care near me?How to find a care home for couples10 advantages of residential careWhat is a residential care home?What is a nursing home?What is the difference between a care home and a nursing home?What is a retirement home? Costs and benefits | 2026What is a specialist dementia care home?How to choose a care home for someone with dementiaDementia-designed care homes: What to look for and how to find oneCare homes for Parkinson’s: Fees and support in 2026What is a luxury care home and how much does it cost?What are retirement villages and are they right for you?Care homes for younger adults | Under 65Is there support for an acquired brain injury in a care home?Care homes for people with learning disabilitiesHow to find a care home for people with behaviours of concernSupported living: Independent living with a disabilityConvalescent care homes: Post-operative careWhat is assisted living? Extra care housingWhat is Sheltered Housing and who is entitled to it?Care homes for substance misuse | Drugs & alcohol dependenceCare homes for profound multiple learning disabilities (PMLD)What is a not-for-profit care home?What support do Christian care homes provide?How to find a Jewish care homeHow to find a Hindu care homeWhat is a Montessori care home and how does it help with dementia?Bariatric care: Meaning, facilities and servicesHow to find an LGBT+ friendly care homeLGBTQ+ friendly care homes prevent a ‘return to the closet’Care for veterans: How care homes cater for armed forcesWhat can you do if a care home resident refuses personal care?How to talk to a parent about moving to a care homeWhat are advanced dementia (EMI) care homes?Relative refuses to move to a care home | What to doHow to cope with the guilt of putting someone in a care home‘I rang a care helpline and found a care home in two weeks’Care Home Open Week 2026 | Find out what a care home is likeCan I get vegan and vegetarian food in a care home?
What to pack when moving into a care homeMoving into a care home checklist: How to prepareSettling into a care home: Tips on making the move easierWhat is it like to live in a care home?When should you move from a care home to a nursing home?Top 10 ways to make your care home room feel like homeCare home visiting and your legal rights | 2026Moving to a care home in a different areaWhat activities can you do in a care home?Do I need to pay for palliative and end-of-life care? | 2026Care home food | Nutrition and hydrationCan I take my pet into a care home?Palliative care: What it means and who it is for5 Stages of Palliative CareWhat is end of life care in a care home?End of life benefits: Financial support for terminally ill in 2026Care home visiting guidance 2026 | Hours, infection outbreaksHow often should you visit someone in a care home?Do I need to wear a face mask to visit a care home?How to stay connected with loved ones in a care homeChanging care homes: What to doDignity in care: What it means and why it mattersWho works in a care home?Care skills: What training is mandatory in care homes?Care home innovationsCare home technology | How will AI affect care homes?Hospice care: Support for terminally ill and familiesMaintaining independence in a care homeCan I get vegan and vegetarian food in a care home?Exercise for older people: Benefits of keeping activeCan I get Kosher food in care homes?Benefits of intergenerational activities for older peopleBuilding friendships in a care homeLove in a care home: ‘It’s never too late’Signs your loved one is unhappy in a care home and what to doLoneliness in older people: Causes and solutionsVisiting family in a care home at Christmas: How to celebrateCare homes at Christmas: Festive activities, food and craftingCare home residents reminisce about founding of the NHSCare home residents celebrate King Charles’s coronation
Types of physical disabilitiesTypes of learning disabilities and learning difficultiesTypes of mental health conditionsManaging diabetes in older adultsHigh blood pressure in older peopleDysphagia: Problems with swallowingAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) | Causes and treatmentsPreventing malnutrition in older peopleStroke: Symptoms, causes and treatmentsHow soon can a disability be diagnosed?Your legal rights if you have a disabilityMotor Neurone Disease (MND) | Symptoms and treatmentsDisabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) 2026: Disability SupportPersonal assistants | 1:1 support for people with disabilitiesJoy Milne, the woman who diagnosed her husband’s Parkinson’s through smellAphasia: Problems with speech and languageWhen does a mental health condition become a disability?What happens when you get sectioned?Residential mental health careWhat is it like to be hospitalised for mental health?Can I pay for private mental health care and how much does it cost?How to get admitted to a mental health hospitalWhat is a learning disability and how is it diagnosed?Benefits for people with learning disabilities 2026Autism in women and girlsAutism Spectrum Disorder: Signs and CharacteristicsGuide to Covid | Symptoms and Long CovidHow to support someone with a learning disability to get the Covid-19 vaccineCovid booster vaccine for care home residents
Early signs and symptoms of dementiaTypes of dementia | Common and rare formsWhat are the stages of dementia? | Mild, moderate, severeBenefits of dementia diagnosis: How to get oneDementia tests: Blood tests, cognitive tests and brain scansDementia treatments 2026 | Medications and therapiesWhat is Alzheimer’s disease? | Symptoms and treatmentWhat is the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia?Vascular dementia: Causes, symptoms and stagesFrontotemporal dementia | Causes and symptomsFrontotemporal dementia | ‘I inherited the gene for FTD’Lewy body dementia: Causes, symptoms and link to Parkinson’sLewy body dementia fast decline: Does it really progress rapidly?Young-onset dementia: Symptoms of dementia in people aged under 65Korsakoff’s Syndrome: Causes, symptoms and treatmentsPick’s Disease: Symptoms and causes of this rare form of frontotemporal dementiaWhat are advanced dementia (EMI) care homes?When should someone with dementia move into a care home?Respite dementia care near me | Options, costs and how to arrangeDementia and lying: Is my loved one really lying and why?What is the life expectancy of someone with dementia?Is dementia hereditary? | Dementia and geneticsHow to reduce your risk of dementiaChallenging behaviour in dementiaRare types of dementiaBPSD dementia: Symptoms with underlying causesDoes smoking cause dementia?Early onset dementia care homesDementia doll therapy and its benefitsSundowning and dementia | How to manage itCaring for someone with dementia: How to copeConfabulation: False memories in people living with dementiaDelusions in dementia and mental health conditionsHow to cope when your parent has dementiaHallucinations: Dementia and mental health conditionsHow to talk to someone with dementiaDementia and Paranoia: Symptoms, causes and supportValidation therapy: Should I correct someone with dementia?Dementia and music therapy: BenefitsPica and dementia: Eating strange or inedible thingsShadowing in dementiaTop 10 memory aids and strategies to help with dementiaAdvice when someone with dementia doesn’t recognise youTherapeutic lying in dementia care: When is it okay to lie?5 things not to say to someone living with dementiaBest dementia gifts for family and friends in 2026Losing your partner to dementia: Coping with loss and griefWhat is it like to have dementia? I take a virtual tourBenefits of sensory and dementia sensory gardensDementia therapies in care homes: Types and benefitsUnderstanding and managing distress in dementiaDementia and hearing loss: What is the link?Dementia and language problemsA history of dementia
A guide to care home contracts in 2026What rights do care home residents have?Care Act 2014 | Key pointsPower of Attorney in England and WalesPower of Attorney in ScotlandPower of Attorney in Northern IrelandWhat if there is no Power of Attorney?Can you get Power of Attorney after a dementia diagnosis?How to change Lasting Power of AttorneyCan you be forced into a care home?What is mental capacity?Can you be forced out of a care home?A guide to Advance Care PlanningDeputyship order: Fees and responsibilitiesAre Living Wills legally binding in the UK?Can a care home change fees or contract terms after you move in?Care home closure: What rights do residents have?What is safeguarding in care? Deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) in a care home | 2026CCTV in care homes: What’s legal and what families should knowWho inspects care homes in the UK? | 2026Medication errors in Care Homes: What do you have a right to know?How to complain about a care homeHow to complain about a care home in England | Steps and resourcesHow to complain about a care home in Scotland | Steps and resourcesHow to complain about a care home in Wales | Steps and resourcesHow to complain about a care home in Northern Ireland | Steps and resourcesCan you stop someone from visiting a care home resident?What is a do not attempt resuscitation decision (DNACPR)?Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT): How is it applied in a care home?Vaccine Damage Payment: How to claimAssisted Dying Bill 2026: What it means for UK care homes