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Why The Care Compass

Built on what we've lived through, not just researched

There's no shortage of information about later-life care online. Charities publish excellent guidance. Forums are full of people sharing what they've learned the hard way. So it's fair to ask: why does another site exist?

Because most of what's out there is one piece of the puzzle. Broad guidance, written for anyone. Forum posts that might be exactly right, or years out of date. Almost nothing combines clear guidance with an actual tool you can use, a checklist, a calculator, a next step, rather than just another article to read.

The Care Compass is built differently on purpose: a seven-stage Journey so you always know where you are, practical tools sitting alongside the guidance, and every figure signposted back to its official source, not just asked to be trusted.

You'll notice things like the interactive Journey Wheel and page read-aloud options along the way. Small things, built because they matter to the people who actually need them.

And it didn't start as a business idea. It started with a family, ours.

Our story

When life changes in an instant

The founder's mum and dad on their wedding day, standing together at a church gate
Mum and Dad on their wedding day.

In October 2023, our world as a family was turned upside down.

My dad was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer, stage 3/4. He was also the sole carer for my mum, who had been living with vascular dementia since 2020, and whose condition was becoming more advanced.

In the space of weeks, everything changed. Dad lost six stone. He could no longer care for Mum. I moved back to Wales to support them both, working from my parents’ home while trying to hold everything together.

The moment I realised how alone families are

As Dad began his chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it became clear that Mum needed full-time nursing care. We had to find her a home. Quickly, under enormous pressure, while watching my dad fight for his life.

I remember standing there thinking: where do I even start?

All I had been given was a leaflet.

What followed was months of phone calls to different boards and bodies, forms with no guidance, terminology I’d never heard, and no clear answers about funding or eligibility. All while managing the most emotionally painful period of my life.

Dad lost his battle with cancer. We planned his funeral. We found Mum a nursing home. We navigated LPAs, Wills, end of life planning and bereavement admin. Bit by bit, largely alone.

The founder as a young child, sitting on his dad's shoulders, both smiling
Dad and me, back at the very beginning. They’re the reason The Care Compass exists.

Why The Care Compass exists

Throughout everything, one thought kept coming back to me: this information should all be in one place.

No family should have to piece it together alone, in the middle of a crisis, while also carrying the emotional weight of watching someone they love go through this.

If this platform helps one family navigate this journey a little more clearly, that’s enough. That’s everything.

The Care Compass was built for the person I was in October 2023. Lost, overwhelmed, and desperately wishing someone had left a light on.

— Steven Evans, Founder, The Care Compass

What we’re here to do

To be clear: The Care Compass is an independent business, not a registered charity. Every guide and resource on this site is free to use. A small range of optional printables and planners help keep it sustainable, nothing here is ever locked behind a paywall to access the guidance itself.

Four things guide every decision we make:

  1. Help families understand what's happening and what to do next, in plain English.
  2. Ease pressure on stretched NHS and council services, not add to it.
  3. Complement the support already out there (from GPs to charities to social workers), never replace it.
  4. As the business grows, we intend to reinvest a share of profits into end-of-life care organisations, such as hospices, that need it most. This is a genuine intention, not yet a fixed commitment. We'll share the detail honestly once there's something real behind it.

What guides everything we do

The Care Compass exists to bring clarity, confidence and compassion to families navigating one of life’s most complex journeys. Everything we publish has to pass that test.

What people say

Real reactions from people who've looked at the site, shared with their permission.

“Absolutely brilliant. Very well thought out and serves a purpose.”

Olivia Bell (helped her mum navigate her grandmother's dementia)

“Would be so incredibly helpful for anyone, and looks brilliant too.”

Jess Umpelby

“It organised what feels like such a complicated topic into clear areas and order. I’d recommend it to anybody trying to make sense of what to do next.”

Dom Sheffield

Looking forward

Every family deserves clarity during one of life’s most difficult journeys.

The Care Compass will continue to grow alongside the needs of families, bringing together trusted guidance, practical tools, expert partners and compassionate support in one place. Our ambition is simple: to become the UK’s most trusted guide for later-life care.

“When life changes in an instant, The Care Compass helps families find their way.”

Explore the Journey  Get the free guide