Pick whichever feels right. Nothing's a wrong answer — this is a quiet space to think things through, take your time.
This Care Companion is brought to you by our five locally-owned Home Instead offices: Stockport, Leek & Moorlands, East Cheshire, South Manchester, and Manchester Central & Tameside. Each is independently owned and operated by people who live and work in your community.
Home Instead has 260+ offices across the UK, all independently owned. If you’re outside the areas above, you can find your nearest at homeinstead.co.uk.
It hasn’t felt like care at all. At least, not what I thought care would feel like. I actually really enjoy it.
What we share across the network is a belief that there’s no one-size-fits-all care, so we don’t offer one. Every plan is built around the person, matched to one Care Professional who comes to know them well.
Our care services are wide ranging. Some people are very good at looking after themselves at home but need a hand with the shopping or walking the dog. Others may need help with personal care, dementia support, or someone there round-the-clock. We shape every visit around the person — not the other way around.
Each one is tagged with where we'd start. You don't need everything at once.
Choose what feels right. There's no pressure either way.
Drawn from our own care library — on health, safety, specialist conditions, money, and emotional wellbeing. Easy to read, easy to share with family, easy to come back to when you need them.
A short, quiet exercise. Each card shares a moment that someone living with dementia might experience — and asks how it might feel. There are no right or wrong answers.
You can reflect quietly, or share it with someone else. The aim is understanding, empathy, and kinder support.
Talking to a loved one about whether they need a little more help can feel uncomfortable, emotional, or even taboo. This is a quiet space to think about how to start — and what to notice along the way.
Care Conversations are about creating space to talk openly, kindly, and honestly about how life is going. The focus is wellbeing, independence, and what matters most to the person — not getting them to accept care.
“Talking things through doesn’t mean something is wrong. It means you care.”
Pick a time when everyone feels relatively relaxed and unhurried. A familiar, comfortable environment makes it easier to talk openly.
You don’t need a script. Have a sense of what you want to talk about — how day-to-day life is feeling, what’s becoming more tiring, how independence can be supported.
Give space for them to share their views. Avoid interrupting or rushing to solutions. Acknowledge feelings, even if you don’t agree on next steps yet.
If the conversation needs a soft opening, try one of these:
Many Care Conversations begin with small changes, like:
These don’t always mean care is needed — but they can be useful starting points for reflection.
Spot the Signs is a gentle, structured reflection. It walks you through seven everyday areas — safety, food, health, hygiene, life admin, scams, and home environment — and helps you notice where small support might help.
It’s not a test or an assessment. There are no right or wrong answers.
Tell us a bit about yourself and someone from our local team will be in touch. No commitment — just a friendly conversation to understand what would help, and what options are out there (including ones beyond Home Instead).
Care costs are the conversation most providers won’t have with you. We’ll have it. Below: a straight comparison of what Home Instead, hourly home care, live-in care and care homes actually cost — plus the bits about funding that often get left out.
This is general guidance, not financial advice. Rates and rules vary by council and personal circumstances. Always check with your local authority and consider independent advice for your situation. Figures cited are England, 2025/26.
Real numbers side by side, with your local Home Instead rates. Care home figures are typical UK ranges from industry-published data.
| Home Instead | Care Home | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly visits | Live-In | Residential | Nursing | |
An honest estimate based on your local office rates and your situation. Indicative only — we’ll confirm exact figures at your free consultation.
Lives alone, early dementia. Two visits a day across 7 days — 28 hrs/week.
Both need support, want to stay together. Live-In Care, couples rate.
Just home from hospital. 6 weeks of support to get back on his feet.
These are real rights, real benefits, and real mechanisms. Most are publicly available but rarely explained clearly. Here’s the short version of each.
The single biggest missed benefit for older people who need help with personal care. Up to £5,959.20 a year that goes straight to the person, regardless of their savings or income. We see clients who’ve had eligible needs for years and never claimed it.
Eligibility: 65+, needs help with personal care or supervision, has had needs for 6 months. Free to apply via form AA1.
If your council assesses you as eligible for funded care, you have a legal right to take that funding as cash and arrange your own care with any CQC-registered provider — including us. You can top up the difference from your own funds to choose a premium provider. This is not gaming the system. It’s how the Care Act is designed.
You may need to ask explicitly: “I’d like to request a Direct Payment so I can arrange my own care.”
If the primary need is a healthcare need rather than personal care, the NHS may fund care entirely — at home or in a nursing home. Common triggers: advanced dementia with behavioural symptoms, complex medical needs, advanced Parkinson’s or MS, end-of-life (Fast-Track within 48 hours).
Notoriously hard to qualify, but anyone can request a checklist assessment at any time. Many qualifying people are never told this exists.
If a family member is caring for you 35+ hours a week and you receive Attendance Allowance (or PIP/DLA), they may be eligible for £86.45/week, paid to them. Counts as taxable income; interacts with other benefits.
If you’re in a nursing home with assessed nursing needs but don’t qualify for full CHC, the NHS pays a flat contribution toward the nursing element of your fees. Paid directly to the home, reduces your bill.
Above £23,250 in capital: you pay the full cost. (For care at home, your house is normally disregarded.)
£14,250 – £23,250: council contributes; you pay from income + £1/wk per £250 above £14,250.
Below £14,250: you pay only what you can afford from income.
For permanent care home admission, the home usually counts as capital — why people often have to sell up. For care at home, the house is disregarded. This is one of the biggest reasons families choose to stay home.
We’re not financial advisors and we’re not pretending to be. But our team has had this conversation with hundreds of families. We can help you understand what care would actually cost in your situation, point you to the right place to apply for Attendance Allowance, explain how to request a Direct Payment, refer you to free independent organisations like Age UK, Carers UK, and PayingForCare.org — and be honest if Home Instead isn’t the right fit financially. We’ll suggest alternatives.
A directory of community groups, support services, friendly drop-ins and activities for older adults — gathered by our local teams. Pick your area to explore what’s out there.
Have a play, see what the work’s really like, and if it feels right — let us know. No CV needed.
There's a reason 88% of our Care Pros are still here in a year's time. Here's what the work actually feels like — and how we shape it around the life you're already living.
Most of our Care Pros come to us because what they had before didn't fit. Some need school hours. Some want quiet nights. Some want full days. We build the week around you, not the other way round.
Mornings only, school hours, two or three days a week — we build a pattern that fits what's already in your life.
35-40 hours with breathing room between calls, real lunch breaks, and the same handful of clients you build real relationships with.
For people who already work in the week and want extra. Weekend rates are higher, and our weekend Care Pros tell us they love the calm of a Saturday morning visit.
Evening Care Pros do supper, settling-in visits, evening medication. Often two or three visits between 5pm and 9pm. Suits people with day commitments.
Live in a client's home for a week or fortnight at a time, with proper breaks in your day. Then a full block of days off. Big income, real time off.
Live-in care is a different rhythm. You stay in a client's spare room for a week or two at a time, share their day, and then have a full block of days off. It's not 24-hour care — you have proper breaks, your own space, and your evenings to yourself once they're settled.
Single client £980, couple £1,015. Plus £60 meal allowance on top.
You pick the rhythm. Most live-in Care Pros do two weeks on, two weeks off — a proper block of either.
Time off in the middle of the day for yourself. Walk, read, see family if you're local. You're not on duty all day.
This is what makes us different. You won't be visiting a different client every day with no time to know them. We match three to five Care Pros to each client — that's it. You see them weekly, you know how they take their tea, you remember their grandkids' names, and they remember yours.
It doesn’t feel like work at all. The office staff are extremely friendly, and you really do feel part of the team. I’ve been accurately matched to my clients, and I’ve built great relationships with them all.
I feel happy all the time in my work. The relationships you get to build with clients are special — and even after a tough day, I go home smiling.
Fully paid Care Certificate, NVQs, plus specialist courses in dementia (City & Guilds), Parkinson’s, and end-of-life care.
Employee Assistance Programme, counselling, financial wellbeing resources. Your wellbeing matters as much as our clients’.
Hundreds of discounts on shopping, travel, eating out and more. Long-service recognition too.
We work hard to build patterns around what fits your life. Pick the one that sounds most like you and we’ll walk you through a real day.
Pay varies a little by area. Choose the office you’d be working with and we’ll show you what you’d earn.
Five quick questions. Not a test — just a chance to think about whether the work would suit who you are. There are no right or wrong answers.
Tap whichever fits best. We’ll show you the parts of that job you already do brilliantly — that’d make you a natural here too.
No CV needed at this stage. Our Recruitment Team will be in touch for a friendly chat about what you’re looking for — they work across our Group and will match you to the local office team that fits you best.