Guides · Updated November 2026
Care guides
Plain-English guides to arranging care in England: what it costs, how to pay, how to choose a provider and what the council must do. Written from official guidance and the CQC register.
- All guides
- Personal Care · 15
- Cost & Funding · 146
- Regulation & Quality · 62
- Retirement living · 22
- Alzheimer's & Dementia · 50
- Care homes · 124
- Reablement · 16
- Overnight Care · 11
- Live-in Care · 15
- London · 99
- End-of-Life & Palliative · 28
- Carer Support · 48
- Elderly Care · 99
- Respite for Carers · 16
Retirement living
ARCO and integrated retirement communities: what they areIntegrated retirement communities combine self-contained homes, 24-hour staff and flexible care. ARCO is the trade body, and its Consumer Code, approved by CTSI in…
Retirement living
Are retirement homes a good investment? Risks and returnsRetirement homes are usually a lifestyle purchase rather than a reliable investment. Leasehold terms, service charges and event fees can reduce returns, and rules…
Retirement living
The best places to retire in Scotland: what to considerNo official source ranks the best places to retire in Scotland, but public data shows large differences in health, house prices and remoteness. Judge…
Retirement living
Where is the best place to retire in the UK? What to weigh upThere is no single best place to retire in the UK. Official data shows large gaps in healthy life expectancy, house prices, council tax…
Care homes
Volunteering at a care home: how to start, checks and rolesTo volunteer at a care home, contact the home directly, agree a role and time commitment, and complete the checks it requires, which may…
Cost & Funding
Discharge to assess (D2A) explained: pathways, rights and supportDischarge to assess means leaving hospital once medically ready, with longer-term needs assessed afterwards, usually at home. Council reablement and intermediate care are free…
Choosing Care
Social services care packages explained: assessment to reviewA care package is the support a council arranges or pays for after a needs assessment finds eligible needs. Anyone can ask for an…
Elderly Care
The stages of palliative care: what families can expectUK health bodies do not set out fixed numbered stages of palliative care. It can begin at diagnosis and last for years, with end…
Elderly Care
Dosette boxes explained: what they are, benefits and how to get oneA dosette box is a compartment pill organiser. Pharmacies are not obliged to supply one on request: it normally follows an assessment of need,…
Care homes
Food hygiene in care homes: ratings, standards and what to checkCare home kitchens are inspected by the local council and given a Food Hygiene Rating from 0 to 5. CQC separately checks that residents'…
Need care soon?
Search by postcode for rated home care and care homes, then send one request to up to three of them.