Should I Throw Mum in a Care Home?

A real-life guide to making the right decision (without the guilt)

“Should I throw Mum in a care home?”

It's a horrible question, isn't it?

Of course, it could just as easily be Dad, your husband, your wife or somebody else you love.

Perhaps Mum isn't safe at home anymore. Perhaps Dad's dementia is getting worse. Perhaps you're exhausted from trying to juggle work, family and caring responsibilities, while feeling guilty for even considering residential care.

What if moving someone into a care home isn't giving up on them? What if it's actually the right thing to do?

Written by Toby Stockton, a qualified registered care-home manager with over 25 years of frontline experience, this refreshingly honest, occasionally cheeky and thoroughly practical guide takes you behind the scenes of residential care.

No complicated jargon. No lectures. No pretending that care homes are perfect.

Just straightforward advice, real-life stories, a little humour and the reassurance that you're not alone in making one of life's hardest decisions.

Inside, you'll discover:

• How to recognise when someone might need residential care.
• Who to contact and where to turn for help.
• How care-home funding works and what families may have to pay.
• How to choose a good care home and what questions to ask.
• What actually happens inside a care home, beyond the glossy brochures.
• How to deal with dementia, guilt, difficult conversations and the emotional reality of moving a loved one into care.
• What happens during those first difficult days and weeks.

You'll also get a useful glossary of care terminology, practical resources, viewing checklists and questions to ask when visiting care homes.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Toby shares the things families often wish somebody had told them sooner, including some of the funny, frustrating and unexpectedly heartwarming moments that happen behind care-home doors.

Whether you're just beginning to worry about a loved one or you're already facing a difficult decision, this book will help you feel more informed, more confident and, hopefully, a little less guilty.

Because choosing care for someone you love doesn't mean you've stopped caring.