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Tips & advice from our founder Annabel + discounts on useful products!

Welcome to our “Well and warm this winter” scheme. We’ve handpicked discounts and offers on products and services we hope you’ll find useful. We’ll be adding to them so please return to find more.
Click to copy the link you’re interested in and then click on “Get deal” – happy shopping.
We’ve sourced some brilliant products that will help keep a parent or relative warm this winter, without costing the earth.
Winter is coming. Although personal alarms are a great safety net and reassurance all year round, winter is when most falls occur. Get discounts from major personal alarm providers from Age Space.
Some great household discounts here to help every day this winter, including beloved pets.
A little of what you fancy does you good, and is also an excellent gift. Keeping active where possible
is good for the mental health and for warding off winter ailments.
A new project, a holiday, or just a treat…
There will be different questions to ask when hiring a carer depending on your parents situation and their needs. We recommend reading our dedicated guide on the best questions to ask a home agency or provider so you can make a tailored list before you start.
If you pay a home care provider for a carer they employ, they are regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Carers hired privately by you, even through an agency are not regulated. You will need to take up references, and carry out a DBS (police check).
You may need to advertise the job, write a job description and interview candidates to select the right carer. Find out more about the process in our guide to hiring a carer privately.
It may sound obvious, but a live-in carer needs to be able to “live in”! Somewhere to sleep, relax, access to the kitchen, and the all important wifi. We’ve put together some useful tips on preparing a home for a live-in carer and the essentials that would be expected.
A care needs assessment is the start of getting care at home for your Mum from the local authority. Being prepared for the assessment should help with the final outcome. Our guide to care needs assessments details the process and how best to prepare for it.
Paying for care is complicated; some care is means tested and some home care will be free, for example from the NHS. Our guide to paying for care should help point you in the right direction.
Day care, also known as domiciliary care, is care provided for set amounts of time or task during the day or night. It covers both personal care and social care. Live-in care is 24/7 care provided in the home and covers all personal and social care.
A care provider recruits, trains and employs their own carers. You have a contract with the care provider for services such as home care, day care/domiciliary care. A care agency acts as a broker between you and the carer. You pay them a search fee, and then pay the carer you employ directly.
All live-in carers organised through care providers and agencies undergo a thorough selection and training process. Most companies will then ask you to complete a questionnaire to help them match the best carer with your elderly relative. You’ll then get the opportunity to meet the potential carer, before deciding if you’re happy with the match. You can read more about what’s involved in our guide to carer recruitment and selection.