The blog
Every guide maps to a stage of The Care Compass Journey, written the way we wish someone had explained it to us.
What “mental capacity” actually means under UK law, how it’s assessed, and why it matters before you ever fill in an LPA form.
When a parent's diagnosis changes everything, the not-knowing is the hardest part. A calm, plain-English first step. From someone who's been there.
The ground has shifted. Here's what typically happens after a diagnosis, and the practical steps that help you feel more in control.
One of the most important early steps a family can take: what LPAs are, why they matter, and how to set them up without the jargon.
Millions of people care for an ageing parent while working full-time. Honest help with work, your employer, your rights, and the guilt.
Real experience and practical guidance. Attendance Allowance, Blue Badge, home adaptations, carer's assessments, and knowing when a fall means 999.
How to spot the quiet signs that more support is needed. Without waiting for a crisis to force the decision.
One of the hardest conversations a family has: how to raise it with honesty, dignity and love.
Practical, lived-experience guidance for the first weeks in a care home. Personal touches that help, protecting belongings, and handling “I want to go home” with warmth.
One of the heaviest decisions a family makes. The practical checks, the questions worth asking, and the emotional side the checklists miss.
The part families find most confusing: means testing, the 2026/27 thresholds, NHS Continuing Healthcare, and where to get trustworthy help.
Needs assessments, care plans and who does what. The social services process explained calmly and clearly.
A real story of losing a father to cancer while still caring for a mother with dementia. For anyone whose grief doesn't fit the shape it's supposed to take.
A calm, ordered checklist for the first days after a death, registering it, Tell Us Once, telling banks and insurers, and whether you need probate.
What probate is, whether you need it, how to apply, and the current fees, including the fee change from 13 July 2026 many guides haven't caught up with yet.
The Care Compass