Welcome to our Care assistant tool
Understanding your care options
Our care assistant will walk you through your key housing and care options, whether you have questions about how to access some help around the home or want to know how it will all be paid for.
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Urgent care
Is care urgently required? Select one option from Yes, No
Planning ahead at an early stage helps avoid decisions being made in a crisis. Our care assistant will walk you through your key housing and care options, whether you have questions about how to access some help around the home or want to know how it will all be paid for.
Care Concierge Helpline
If you need to find care urgently then let our Care Concierge team help you.
You can call our Care Experts for free guidance on finding and funding care on 0800 060 8721.
Our lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm. Calls may be recorded and monitored.
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Identify your care needs
Who are you looking to care for? Select one option from Myself, Someone Else
If you have family or close friends that you’d like to be involved in decisions about your health and finances, then you could consider setting up a Power of Attorney. It means someone else can make decisions on your behalf if you ever need them to.
If you’re setting up care for someone else, it’s important to involve them as much as possible along the way. You could start by talking about setting up a Power of Attorney for them, if they don’t have one already. It means someone can help make decisions on their behalf if it’s ever needed.
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Understanding your care options
What would you like some information on? Select all answers that apply from Care Home, Care in Home or select Other housing options!
You can select more than one topic
Care homes
Care homes can provide 24-hour personal care or nursing care. Residents share communal areas for meals and socialising, and have their own room. Moving into residential care can often happen quickly following a crisis but taking the time to understand your options and ask the right questions can help make this move a positive one.
Care in own home
Whether it’s help with dressing and bathing or domestic tasks like shopping and cleaning, the right care can help you stay in your own home. We can help you to find a trusted local care agency.
Other housing options:
Move somewhere more suitable
Moving to somewhere more suitable can help you to live safely and independently for longer. Supported housing is available for those with a range of needs and can allow you to live independently whilst also having access to on-site support, should you need it now or in the future.
Adaptations and support in my home
Making certain improvements to your home, from fitting a grab rail to installing a wet room, can make a huge difference to your independence. Whether you are interested in the latest gadgets, equipment, minor adaptations, or larger home improvements, we can help you explore your options.
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Funding your care
Do you know how you’re going to fund your care? Select one option from Yes, No
It’s great that you have started planning how to cover the costs of care. Making sure you’ve fully explored all your funding options can help you to reduce costs or give you some clarity about how much you’ll need to pay. To leave no stone unturned, use our Care Costs Calculator once you have completed this tool.
We have lots of useful information and guidance to help you make sense of the care funding system. So that we show you the information most relevant to you, please take a few minutes to use our Care Costs Calculator once you have completed this tool.
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Planning ahead
Have you started planning the housing and care services you are looking for? Select one option from Yes, No
It’s great that you have started thinking ahead, but to make sure that you haven’t missed anything important we recommend following our tips to make sure you get the most of our website and don’t miss anything that could be important.
- Start by understanding what improvements you can make to your own home
- Read about Powers of Attorney and making decisions
- Ensure you are receiving all the financial support you are entitled to
- Understand when the local authority can assist you, practically and financially
- Learn how to find the right care
- Questions about funding care? Read more in our section on paying for care.
- Make sure you understand how making gifts are considered when it comes to care
Further reading and guidance
We have now covered the basics for key topics in your care journey to help you get started. Click on the button below to create a summary view of this and other information that you can email to yourself for easy reference as you continue your journey.
Thank you! We now have all the information we need.
We are here to help make sense of the maze that can be housing and care. To make sure you do not miss any important information we recommend following our top tips.
- Start by understanding what improvements you can make to your own home
- Read about Powers of Attorney and making decisions
- Ensure you are receiving all the financial support you are entitled to
- Understand when the local authority can assist you, practically and financially
- Learn how to find the right care
- Questions about funding care? Read more in our section on paying for care.
- Make sure you understand how making gifts are considered when it comes to care
Further reading and guidance
We have now covered the basics for key topics in your care journey to help you get started. Click on the button below to create a summary view of this and other information that you can email to yourself for easy reference as you continue your journey.
Thank you! We now have all the information we need.
Thank you for submitting your details
Click on the button below to download a summary of your later life care options. Once you have identified the areas where you feel you need more information, our Care Service website can help you to improve your understanding.