The Good Care Guide - Care Planning Starts Before You Need It

Take the first step towards informed, confident decisions about care.

• Free to download
• Practical and easy to read
• Written by care experts
• Designed to support real-life conversations

Talking about care doesn’t mean giving up independence. It means understanding your choices, planning ahead and knowing what good care really looks like – before those decisions become urgent.

The Good Care Guide is our free, 34-page booklet, designed to help people and their families start important conversations about care. We want to help more people to feel confident about their care and their future through good care planning.

Si King is best known as TV presenter, chef and author, and as one of half of The Hairy Bikers. Si became Bluebird Care’s Ambassador for Dementia Awareness, as a passionate advocate for greater awareness after seeing his mum’s experience with Alzheimer’s. He’s helping us to encourage families across the UK to talk about care sooner – not later.

The Good Care Guide supports that conversation with clear, practical advice you can read at your own pace and return to whenever you need it.

What Is Care Planning?

Care planning is simply about thinking ahead – long before care becomes an immediate need. It involves:

• Understanding the different types of care available
• Considering how you’d like to live as you grow older
• Families and friends having open and honest conversations about preferences and values
• Planning practically and financially for the future

There’s no ‘right’ age to start care planning. The earlier you begin, the more choice and control you’re likely to have.

Why is Care Planning So Important?

For many families, care only comes to mind after a health change or a crisis. By that point, decisions need to be made quickly. Necessity means that there just isn’t the time for careful consideration, personal preference or long-term thinking.

 We want to challenge that.

Planning ahead can:

• Reduce stress and anxiety for both individuals and their families
• Give everyone involved more clarity, confidence and reassurance
• Help ensure personal wishes and preferences are understood and respected
• Make conversations between family members easier and less emotional
• Support better practical and financial planning together
• Reduce the pressure of making decisions in urgent or crisis situations
• Help families understand what good quality care looks like.

 The Good Care Guide is designed to normalise thinking ahead. It features detailed information and advice on later life care planning. Our aim is to get families thinking and talking about planning for care before they have to act – calmly, collaboratively and without pressure.

Planning Ahead for the Cost of Care

 Care planning isn’t just about support - it’s also about understanding the financial side of care.

 The Good Care Guide explains:

• Typical costs associated with different types of care
• How care can be funded
• What financial support or benefits may be available
• Why planning early can make costs easier to manage

 By breaking down complex information, the guide helps families plan realistically and avoid unexpected surprises.

Who is The Good Care Guide For?

 This guide is for anyone who:

• Is thinking about their own future care
• Is looking for advice on care options for parents or loved ones
• Wants to understand care options before they’re needed
• Feels unsure where to start with care planning
• Is looking for clear, trustworthy information

 You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need a place to begin. The Good Care Guide is designed to help you take that first step. Download your free copy today.