We all want the best for our older relative, but everyone has a different idea of what needs doing.
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Care & connectionOne loved one. Different contributions. A clearer plan.
Care & connection · PRACTICAL LEARNING
Together for Someone We Love: A Family Care Plan
Two weeks to get on the same page about care for an older relative: hear the person’s wishes, talk through difficult questions and agree practical support that fits life back home. £17 for your group of 2–15 adults.
Who is this for?
For relatives and trusted adults organising support for an older person in a low-income or mixed-resource setting, including families across Africa and elsewhere. A sibling abroad, someone visiting, a neighbour or paid helper may each bring a different contribution. Suitable for two people or a group of up to 15 adults; include people whose participation the older person welcomes.
£17.00 · fixed total for 2–15 adults · one-time payment
Everyone cares about the same person. Are you working from the same plan?
One person sends money, another visits and someone else helps each day. Bring the older person’s wishes and everyone’s contribution into a clearer conversation, then agree practical care that fits the resources available.
Useful things you can try
- Make visible the care people already provide.
- Discuss a difficult question without putting someone on trial.
- Agree tasks, clinic information and a backup plan.
Tools to take away: Our support map · Our practical care agreement · Clinic and backup planning sheet.
Does this sound familiar?
The person sending money thinks things are covered; the person nearby is quietly doing much more.
Nobody knows who should arrange the clinic visit, what it will cost or what happens if the usual helper is away.
These are a few starting points. Your relationships, goals and resources may look different. Choose the conversations and shared actions that people would welcome.
See how this programme can work for you ↓2 weeks · 14-day shared access windowShort self-paced lessons and shared practical activitiesLearning languages: English
Care & connectionOne loved one. Different contributions. A clearer plan.What you can put into practice
- Ask what the older person wants and separate observations from assumptions.
- Prepare a difficult care conversation without blame or deciding everything from abroad.
- Agree named tasks, realistic contributions and permission to share necessary information.
- Make a workable clinic, cost and backup plan with a review date.
- Recognise when disagreement, urgent concerns or unsafe arrangements need appropriate local help.
How the course helps
A sister in the UK hears that Uncle is “not managing”. A cousin nearby says he manages most things but struggles on clinic days. Another relative thinks a full-time helper is the answer. These accounts may contain useful pieces of the picture, but none tells us what Uncle wants. Begin with him, in a way he can take part comfortably. Ask: “What is becoming difficult?” “What would you like to keep doing yourself?” “What kind of help would you welcome?” A quiet conversation in his preferred language may work better than a large family call. Examples include care shared across homes and countries, limited funds, irregular visits, paid or unpaid help and different local services. Those are starting points, not assumptions about every household. Adapt the plan with the older person and check what is actually available locally.
Make it work in your setting
Examples include care shared across homes and countries, limited funds, irregular visits, paid or unpaid help and different local services. Those are starting points, not assumptions about every household. Adapt the plan with the older person and check what is actually available locally. How to use our examples →
A situation you may recognise
- We all want the best for our older relative, but everyone has a different idea of what needs doing.
- The person sending money thinks things are covered; the person nearby is quietly doing much more.
- Nobody knows who should arrange the clinic visit, what it will cost or what happens if the usual helper is away.
Why this can be useful to give
One buyer pays £17 for a final list of 2–15 named adults. Include yourself in the list if you want to learn. Agree participation before entering details; everyone gets their own instructions and shares the selected 14-day timetable. Two weeks to get on the same page about care for an older relative: hear the person’s wishes, talk through difficult questions and agree practical support that fits life back home. £17 for your group of 2–15 adults.
What you’ll explore
01 · Week 1 · Start with the person, not the family argument
Before we decide what help is needed, whose everyday life are we planning for? Choose one willing conversation. Capture what the person wants, what is already working and one practical gap to address first.
02 · Week 1 · See the work people are already doing
Sending money, giving time and being on call are different contributions. All deserve to be understood. Ask the people involved about current tasks and realistic limits. Notice one contribution that has been taken for granted and acknowledge it.
03 · Week 1 · Have the difficult conversation without making it a trial
You can be clear about a concern and still respect the people involved. Prepare one opening sentence, one specific concern and one reasonable request. Agree a reply window and write down the next decision, rather than trying to settle every old disagreement.
04 · Week 2 · Agree a small plan people can actually keep
A plan becomes useful when each person knows the task, the date and how to say something has changed. Create a one-page agreement for the next fortnight. Put unconfirmed tasks in a separate “still to check” section.
05 · Week 2 · Plan clinic visits and the times help falls through
The appointment is one part of the journey. The waiting, transport and next steps matter too. Make one ordinary clinic journey plan and one backup arrangement. Check the person named as backup has agreed and knows the task.
06 · Week 2 · Review, share the load and keep the plan alive
You are aiming for workable support, not a document nobody opens again. Agree the next review date and one change that will make support more dependable. Keep the care agreement and contacts before your 14-day course window ends.
Tools you can use afterwards
What everyday care looks like; Our support map; A conversation that moves things forward; Our practical care agreement; Clinic and backup planning sheet; Care plan review and next steps. Download the sheets to keep, copy the headings onto paper, or simply reflect. Shared conversations use your own chosen methods; no personal worksheet upload is required.
This programme organises family support. It does not assess health, teach physical handling or medication administration, or provide legal advice or family mediation. Urgent concerns need appropriate local help; do not wait for the next lesson.