Blog
Expert guides on choosing a care home, understanding funding options, and navigating elderly care in the UK. Written by our editorial team using official data.
Direct Payments for Social Care: How They Work and Can They Pay for a Care Home?
Instead of the council arranging your care, direct payments put the budget in your hands to organise it yourself. Here's how the scheme actually works, who's eligible, and the one care-home question m...
Attendance Allowance and Hospital Stays: Does It Stop After 28 Days?
A hospital admission can quietly stop your Attendance Allowance — and an overpayment you didn't know about can follow you home. Here's exactly when the 28-day rule applies, when it doesn't, and what t...
Equity Release to Pay for Care Home Fees: How It Works and the Risks
Equity release lets you fund care home fees using the value tied up in a property — without selling it outright. It also has real, lasting costs. Here's how it works, who it suits, and what to check b...
NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) Eligibility Test: Could Your Care Be Free?
NHS Continuing Healthcare can cover care home fees in full, with no means test. Here's how the Checklist, Decision Support Tool and appeal process actually work in England.
Are Care Home Fees Negotiable? Yes — Here's the Data
Most families pay the asking fee because they don't know they can negotiate. LaingBuisson data shows weekly fees vary by up to 40% for equivalent provision in the same area. Here's what that means for...
Nursing Care in a Care Home: 10 Signs You Need It
What nursing care means, how it differs from personal care, 10 signs your parent needs it, and costs including the £254/week NHS contribution.
The 12-Week Property Disregard: What It Means and What to Do in the First 3 Months of Care
When a parent moves permanently into a care home, their property is ignored in the means test for 12 weeks. See who qualifies and what to do before the window ends.
Your Funding Result: 5 Actions for the Next 8 Weeks
You know your funding status. Now what? A practical week-by-week action plan for every scenario — fully funded, borderline, council-funded, or self-funding.
Care Home Funding: 8 Options Most Families Miss
Every care home funding route explained: NHS CHC, council funding, Attendance Allowance, deferred payments, equity release, and grants in one guide.
Deferred Payment Agreements for Care Homes: How They Work
How deferred payment agreements work for care home fees in the UK. Real numbers, worked examples, and when a DPA is (and isn't) the right choice for your family.
Dementia Care Home Fees: Do You Have to Pay?
Funding-focused guide to who pays dementia care home fees, when NHS CHC may apply, and how the means test changes what a family still pays.
End of Life Care at Home: What to Expect and Who Pays
How end of life care at home works in the UK, who pays for it, and the fast-track NHS funding most families don't know about. A practical guide for the hardest time.