Guides for families choosing a care home
Plain-language guides to choosing a care home, understanding costs and funding, and moving a relative abroad, with country guides for France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey.
- How to choose a care home: a step-by-step guide for families — A practical guide to choosing a care home, especially from abroad: assess needs, build a shortlist, check licensing, visit, compare costs and plan the move.
- Care home visit checklist: what to look for and what to ask — A printable checklist of what to look for and which questions to ask when visiting a care home, with extra questions for families who live abroad.
- Choosing dementia care: what to look for in a memory care home — How to choose a care home for someone with dementia: staff training, environment, activities, questions to ask and signs of good care, based on NHS and Dementia UK advice.
- Respite care and short stays: a trial before you commit — What respite care and short stays in a care home are, who they suit, how to arrange one and how to use a short stay as a trial before a permanent move.
- Talking to a parent about moving into a care home — Practical ways to start and handle the conversation with a parent about moving into a care home or abroad: when to talk, how to listen, what to do if they refuse.
- Home care or a care home? How to decide — Compare staying at home with carers against moving into a care home: who each suits, pros and cons, costs, couples and pets, with questions to help you decide.
- Warning signs in a care home and how to raise concerns — How to spot possible abuse or neglect in a care home, what to do if you are worried, and how to report concerns, based on NHS guidance, with notes for families abroad.
- Settling in: helping a relative adjust to a new care home — Practical tips for the first weeks in a care home: preparing the room, sharing preferences with staff, staying in touch, and what to expect, with notes for a move abroad.
- Types of senior care explained, with local terms in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal — Independent living, residential care, nursing homes, memory care, day care and home care explained, plus the local terms to search for in each country.
- Care home costs: what is included and how to compare them across countries — What care home fees usually include, which extras to ask about, official 2024 average prices for France, and how fees and public support differ by country.
- Care home contracts and fees: what to check before you sign — A checklist for reading a care home contract: fees and extras, deposits, price rises, notice periods, complaints and what happens if needs change. Includes UK regulator advice as a model.
- Paying for care from abroad: pensions, tax and money transfers — How to plan paying care fees abroad: receiving the UK State Pension overseas, tax in two countries, double taxation agreements and practical tips for paying the home.
- Moving a parent to a care home abroad: legal, health and practical checklist — What to settle before moving an older relative to a care home in another country: consent, power of attorney, healthcare cover, residency, money and paperwork.
- Healthcare cover when a relative retires abroad: S1, GHIC and insurance — How healthcare cover works when an older person moves to another country: the UK S1 form for State Pension recipients, GHIC for visits, private insurance and what to ask before the move.
- Power of attorney and legal documents when a relative moves to a care home abroad — Why legal documents matter before a move abroad, how powers of attorney and adult protection differ by country, and what we know about the six countries we cover.
- Care homes in France: EHPAD, costs, APA and aide sociale explained — How French care homes (EHPAD) work: the three-part bill, APA and aide sociale à l'hébergement, 2024 average prices and tips for families abroad.
- Care homes in Italy: RSA, casa di riposo, ASL assessment and costs — How Italian care homes work: RSA versus casa di riposo, the UVG assessment, the health and social cost split, the accompaniment allowance and tips for families abroad.
- Care homes in Spain: residencias, the dependency law and private care — How Spanish care homes (residencias) work: public, subsidised and private places, the dependency law, the five-year residence rule and tips for families abroad.
- Care homes in Portugal: ERPI (lares), fees and how to apply — How Portuguese care homes (ERPI or lares) work: who they are for, income-based fees, how to apply via Segurança Social and Carta Social, and tips for families abroad.
- Care homes in Greece: private homes, KAPI day centres and what to expect — How elderly care works in Greece: mostly private fee-paying homes, a few state and church-run places, KAPI and KIFI day centres, what foreign residents need, and tips for families abroad.
- Care homes in Türkiye (Turkey): huzurevi, regulation and what to check — How elderly care homes (huzurevleri) work in Türkiye: public and private homes, licensing and inspection, the 2026 regulation on admission ages and care levels, and tips for families abroad.
- Staying safe in hot weather: protecting an older relative in a Mediterranean summer — Who is most at risk in a heatwave, simple ways to keep an older person cool and hydrated, the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and what to ask a care home about heat.
- Preventing falls in older age: reducing the risk at home and in a care home — Why older people fall, practical ways to reduce the risk, what to do after a fall, and what to ask a care home about falls prevention.
- Eating and drinking well in later life: what good mealtime care looks like — Why food and fluids matter for older people, what good practice in a care home looks like, signs that someone may be struggling to eat, and questions to ask at mealtimes.
- Communicating with a person with dementia: practical tips for families and carers — Simple ways to talk and listen when someone has dementia: how to set the tone, ask questions, use body language, handle upsetting moments, and what to avoid.
- Managing medicines in a care home: what a good system looks like — What a care home should have in place for medicines: a written policy, accurate records, regular reviews, safe ordering and storage, and how families can ask the right questions.
- Mouth, sight and hearing care: everyday health checks that are easy to miss — Why dental, eye and hearing care matter in later life, what a care home should do for mouth care, how sight and hearing loss affect people with dementia, and what to ask.
- Staying active in later life: movement and balance in a care home — What the World Health Organization recommends for older adults, how movement supports balance and independence, and what to ask a care home about activity.
- End of life and palliative care: what to expect and what to ask a care home — What end of life and palliative care involve, when they start, who provides them, where care can be given, and the questions to raise with a care home before they are needed.
- Supporting a parent from a distance: long-distance caregiving — How to keep track of an older parent’s needs from another country: assessing the situation, building a family team, staying in touch with the care home, planning visits and emergencies.
- Looking after yourself as a family carer: stress, guilt and getting support — Caring for an older relative is demanding. How to recognise strain, manage guilt (including about a care home move), ask for a carer’s assessment and find support.
- Inspections and complaints: how care homes are overseen in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey — Who licenses and inspects care homes in each country we cover, where to report abuse or poor care, and what we could and could not confirm from public sources.