A leading home care provider is encouraging families to use Mother’s Day as an opportunity to start conversations about care and support earlier, rather than waiting until a sudden change in circumstances forces difficult decisions.
Helping Hands Home Care, which has 8 branches in Cheshire, including Warrington, Chester, Ellesmere Port, Macclesfield and Nantwich, delivers in-home care to more than 15,000 people across England and Wales, but often sees families struggle to start those first conversations about a loved one’s future care until support becomes urgently needed.
To coincide with Mother’s Day on 15 March, Helping Hands has produced a practical guide called “Starting the care conversation”, designed to help families feel more confident about raising the topic of additional support. The guide encourages people to start thinking about care earlier, rather than waiting until a crisis point when decisions may feel rushed.
With many people coming together on Mother’s Day to celebrate and spend quality time as a family, it can also be a natural moment to notice how loved ones are really coping at home.
Common signs that someone may benefit from extra help at home can include struggling with everyday tasks such as cooking meals, keeping the house tidy, or getting to appointments, as well as missing medication, becoming more isolated, or experiencing changes in appetite, mood or confidence.
The guide also includes advice from Helping Hands’ experienced care team on how families can approach the topic. They recommend choosing a calm and private moment to talk, keeping the discussion open and collaborative, and focusing on maintaining independence. Introducing the idea of support gradually, rather than presenting care as a sudden change, can help make the conversation feel more positive.
Cheryl Douglas, Head of Quality at Helping Hands Home Care said: “Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the important role mums, grandmothers, and guardians play in our lives, but it can also be an opportunity to pause and check in on how they are really doing day to day.
“Conversations about support are rarely easy, particularly when someone has always been independent. However, starting those discussions early can help families feel more prepared and ensure loved ones remain living well at home for longer.
“We often speak to families who say they wish they had talked about care sooner. Planning ahead allows everyone to explore options calmly, understand what support might look like, and make decisions together rather than during a stressful situation.
“Our guide provides clear advice on how to go about doing that, and we’d encourage people this Mother’s Day to think about starting that conversation in plenty of time so that everyone is prepared when any important decisions need to be made.”
The full guide on how to start conversations about care is available at Difficult Conversations: Talking About Care | Helping Hands Home Care
