Getwello
Useful resources

UK organisations that genuinely help.

Getwello handles the daily check-in and the family rota. The list below covers everything else: the UK organisations worth knowing about when you are looking after an older parent, with plain-English notes on what each one is actually for.

We are not affiliated with any of the organisations listed. We just think they are good.

  • Age UK

    The biggest UK charity for older people

    Age UK has practical, plain-English guides on almost everything that comes up when you are looking after an older parent: pension credit, attendance allowance, dementia, falls, hospital discharge, careline schemes. They also run local Age UK branches across the country with more in-person services.

    Go here for
    General questions about ageing, benefits, personal alarms, befriending, and choosing a care home. Their advice line is free and staffed by people who do this every day.
    Not for
    Medical questions (your GP), or anything that needs an immediate response (use 111 or 999).
    Visit Age UK

  • Carers UK

    For the family member doing the most caring

    Carers UK is specifically for the unpaid family carer (you) rather than the person being looked after. Their helpline is brilliant if you do not yet think of yourself as a carer; they will help you check whether the role you are in qualifies for things like Carer's Allowance and a free carer's assessment from your council.

    Go here for
    If the caring is becoming a real load: when you want to know what financial support you might be entitled to, what your rights at work are, or how to recognise carer burnout before it gets too far.
    Visit Carers UK

  • Independent Age

    Free advice line for older people and their families

    Independent Age is a smaller charity that focuses heavily on the bits other resources skim past: care funding, deferred payment agreements, the NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, and the differences between different kinds of housing for older people.

    Go here for
    Specific, complicated questions about care arrangements, paying for care, attendance allowance, or end-of-life planning. Their guides are unusually clear on the financial side.
    Visit Independent Age

  • NHS

    Health, hospital admissions, and getting a needs assessment

    The NHS website has reliable plain-English explanations for most conditions. The pages worth bookmarking now: hospital discharge planning, getting a needs assessment, and the social-care guide.

    Go here for
    Anything medical: your parent's GP surgery is the front door. After a hospital stay, the discharge planning team. For social care needs (help with washing, dressing, meals), search 'adult social care' on your council's website.
    Not for
    Befriending or non-medical loneliness (try Age UK or the Royal Voluntary Service).
    Visit NHS

  • Royal Voluntary Service

    Volunteer befriending, transport, and community spaces

    Volunteer-led services across the UK, often free or low cost. Particularly useful when you live far from your parent and want them to have someone local in their week, or when you want to ease loneliness without it feeling clinical.

    Go here for
    When the missing piece is regular human contact for your parent: a weekly chat from a befriender, a lift to a hospital appointment, or a local lunch club.
    Visit Royal Voluntary Service

  • Men's Sheds Association

    Community spaces for older men, mostly free

    Workshops where members make and mend things together. Strongly social, surprisingly therapeutic, and one of the few interventions that men in particular tend to take to.

    Go here for
    If your dad is becoming more isolated and a befriending phone call wouldn't suit him. Sheds are practical, hands-on, no-nonsense and run by their members.
    Visit Men's Sheds Association

  • Your local council's adult social care team

    The NHS handles health; the council handles social care

    Each local council in the UK has an adult social care team. They are required to assess your parent's needs (it's free) and recommend support. Some equipment is free; some help is means-tested. Worth contacting BEFORE a crisis, not during one. Use the GOV.UK link to find your council.

    Go here for
    Help with daily living: getting in and out of bed, washing, cooking, falls equipment, telecare. Request a free needs assessment after any health change.
    Visit Your local council's adult social care team

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