The people behind CareGuide UK

My mother Helen was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her early seventies. For a while, we managed. Family visits, routines, small adjustments. You tell yourself it's working longer than it probably is, because the alternative — what comes next — is something you're not ready to face.

When it became clear that Helen needed full-time care, I didn't know where to start. Nobody hands you a guide. There's no clear process, no single place to go. You search online and find outdated information, American articles that don't apply, or impenetrable NHS guidance written for professionals rather than families. You ring numbers that go to voicemail. You wait.

We visited around ten care homes. Some were ruled out immediately — the smell when you walked in, the blank look in the eyes of the staff, the feeling you couldn't quite name but couldn't ignore. Others seemed fine on paper but didn't feel right for Helen. Several had no availability at all. Every visit took something out of you. Every drive home felt like a small failure, even when you knew it wasn't.

We eventually found a place five minutes from our home. It was the right decision. Helen stayed there for six years. The staff knew her name, knew what made her laugh, knew how she liked her tea. In the end, that is what you're looking for — not a facility, but people.

But I spent months getting to that point without the right information, without a clear framework, without anyone to tell me what questions to ask or what warning signs to look for. That experience is why CareGuide UK exists.

This site is the resource I wish had existed when I was sitting in car parks outside care homes, not knowing what to do next. Every guide we publish is written with that family in mind — the one that's overwhelmed, scared, and just trying to do the right thing by someone they love.

<TODO: client to supply bio for care manager, nurse, or social worker who reviews content for clinical accuracy. Should include: years of experience, professional registration number if applicable, areas of specialism.>