How to Get Your Elderly Parent Assessed for Care Needs
For most families, it starts with a feeling rather than a moment. A parent seems more forgetful than they used to be. The fridge has food in it that has gone off. The stairs are starting to feel unsafe. They might be wearing the same jumper despite it being stained. A neighbour quietly mentions something, and you realise they have been worried for a while.
You know something needs to change. You just do not know where to start or how. And having been through this with my own family, I can tell you that the build-up to that first phone call is the hardest part by a fair distance.
This guide is for that moment. It sets out how to get a parent properly assessed for care needs in the UK, what a local authority assessment involves, how to handle it if your parent is resistant, and what to do next depending on the assessment's findings.
It is written for adult children who are new to this. Nothing here assumes you already know the system. We will dive in now with when, how, and then what to do after you have had one.
When is it actually time to look at care?
There is rarely a clear line. Instead, there is a set of signals that builds up over time. Any one of these on its own might not mean much. Several together usually do:
Noticeable weight loss, or signs that they are not eating properly
Falls, or your parent mentioning feeling unsteady
Forgetting to take medication or repeating doses
Bills not being paid, or post piling up unopened
The home is becoming less well cared for than before
Personal hygiene slipping
Becoming socially withdrawn or noticeably more anxious
Struggling with everyday tasks that used to be easy (shopping, cooking, dressing)
A specific incident (a fall, a hospital admission, a fire scare)
If you are recognising several of these, you are not being dramatic. You are paying attention. The right response is not to wait until there is a crisis, but to start exploring options calmly. Springing this on someone who has spent the majority of their life (longer than you have been on the planet) being independent is not going to go well. Broach the conversation sensibly and early.
The two main assessment routes
In England, there are two main ways a care needs assessment can happen:
Local authority (council) assessment
Free to request, available to anyone. This is the main statutory route and the one most families start with.
Private assessment
Arranged through a care provider or an independent assessor, usually for people who are self-funding and want to move faster than the council can.
Most families start with the local authority route because it is free and is often the doorway to any public funding your parent might be entitled to. If you already know you will be self-funding and you want to move quickly, a private assessment alongside may make sense.
How a local authority care needs assessment works
A care needs assessment (sometimes called a "Needs Assessment" or "Community Care Assessment") is carried out by the local authority's adult social care team. It is a statutory right under the Care Act 2014, which means the council must carry out an assessment for anyone who appears to have care needs.
The process typically looks like this:
You contact the council. You can request an assessment on behalf of a parent by calling their local adult social care team. Most councils have a dedicated number and an online form. If you are not sure which council, use gov.uk's postcode search.
They arrange an appointment. An assessor, usually a social worker, will come to the home for a conversation. This can take an hour or two.
They assess daily life. The assessor looks at how the person manages with things like washing and dressing, preparing food, managing medication, getting around the house, using the toilet, keeping safe, and maintaining relationships. They also think about the well-being of any family carers.
A written decision follows. The council decides whether the person has "eligible needs" under the Care Act. If they do, the council has to offer support.
A financial assessment follows. If eligible needs are identified, the council conducts a separate financial assessment to determine how much, if anything, the person will pay towards their care.
One important note on timing. Timescales vary. Some councils are quick, some are very slow. It is reasonable to ask for an indicative timeline on the first call and to follow up if things stall, because they do. Every time I have had to do this, the wait has been substantial.
What if your parent has savings?
The financial assessment in England works to three brackets in 2026:
Above £23,250 in savings and capital: the person is expected to pay for their own care in full
Between £14,250 and £23,250: the person contributes from savings and income on a tariff basis
Below £14,250: the council contributes more significantly, and only income counts
The family home is usually excluded from the calculation if the person is receiving care at home (rather than moving into a care home). That matters, and it is worth understanding early.
If your parent has savings above the upper threshold, they will be self-funding. That does not mean the council assessment is pointless. It still produces a clear view of what support is needed, opens access to other services, and can help you make the case for things like NHS Continuing Healthcare if appropriate.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
Separately from the council, some people qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). CHC fully funds the care of people whose primary need is a health need rather than a social care need, regardless of savings.
Eligibility is assessed through a Checklist followed by a full Decision Support Tool assessment. The criteria are strict, and relatively few people qualify. But it is genuinely worth exploring where there are significant health needs, such as advanced dementia, progressive neurological conditions, or complex medical requirements, because the difference in funding is substantial.
You can request a CHC Checklist through your parents' GP, hospital discharge team, or community nurse.
Having the conversation with a resistant parent
Many older adults are not keen on being "assessed". They may feel it implies they cannot cope, that it undermines their independence, or that it is the first step toward a care home they do not want. These are all legitimate reactions.
A few things that help:
Frame it as information, not action. An assessment tells you what options exist. It does not commit anyone to anything.
Lead with their concerns, not yours. What would make life easier for them? What are they struggling with? An assessment can help with those things.
Take the pressure off. You can say: "I am not trying to change things. I just want us to know what is available so we can decide together."
Involve the GP. A GP suggesting an assessment often lands better than a daughter or son suggesting it.
Time it carefully. After a difficult incident (a fall, a hospital stay) is often a natural moment.
Be patient. Sometimes the first conversation does not succeed. The second or third often does.
If your parent has the capacity to make their own decisions and refuses, you cannot force an assessment. What you can do is keep the door open, make sure they know it is available, and revisit the conversation when something changes.
If capacity is a concern
If your parent has a condition like dementia that affects their ability to make informed decisions, the picture is different. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 sets out how decisions should be made for people who cannot make them for themselves.
If you have a Lasting Power of Attorney for health and welfare, you can make decisions on your parent's behalf within the scope of that authority. If you do not, the local authority has responsibilities under the Act to act in the person's best interests.
If you think capacity is an issue, say so clearly when you request the assessment. The council is required to take that into account and to put in place the right safeguards.
What happens after the assessment
There are usually three possible outcomes:
The council arranges and funds some or all of the care. You will be offered a care plan, and either direct commissioning of services or a Direct Payment that lets you buy the care yourself.
The person is eligible but self-funding. You know what is needed, and you now have to choose a provider. This is where most families using services like Gladys end up, as the thresholds for receiving public support are woefully low.
No eligible needs identified. In practice, this is less common once you have actively sought an assessment, but it can happen where needs are genuinely low. In this case, you can still choose to arrange private care independently if you want to.
Choosing care after the assessment
Once an assessment has been done, you have a clear picture of what is needed. The next question is how to arrange the care itself.
There are broadly three routes:
A traditional home care agency. Fully managed, more expensive, with less or zero control over who comes in each shift.
Employing a carer directly. Cheaper per hour but comes with employer responsibilities (contracts, tax, holiday pay, cover).
A platform like Gladys. Self-employed professional carers matched to your family, with the matching, admin, and verification handled by the platform, and families paying around 30% less than a traditional agency.
Which is right depends on the level of need, the budget, and the level of involvement you want in managing the arrangement.
Choosing care with Gladys
At Gladys, we match families across the country with professional carers and community helpers. Every carer we introduce has an enhanced DBS check, is insured, and has been personally interviewed by our team. Because we are an introductory platform rather than an agency, families typically pay around 30% less than they would with a traditional care company.
We often work with families who have just been through an assessment and are trying to decide what to do next. Our job is to help you think clearly about your parent's needs and match them with someone who fits, rather than to sell a service.
Find out how Gladys works → or get in touch to talk through your options →.
Final thoughts
The hardest part of this process is usually the first step. Once you have made the phone call, requested the assessment, or had the first conversation, everything else tends to follow.
A care needs assessment is not a commitment. It is a way of understanding the picture properly so that the decisions that follow are the right ones. Whether your parent ends up needing a little help around the house, a few hours of visiting care, or something more substantial, the assessment helps you get a clear view of what will actually help.
If you are at the start of this journey, start small. Make one phone call. See where it leads. You do not have to solve everything this week.
