New research shows more families caring for parents and arranging crisis care
3-minute read | 20/01/2026
Editorial Contributor
More working adults than ever are caring for ageing parents, with families often forced to find care at short notice and navigate complex funding decisions alone, according to new research from Ageing Britain: How demand for care homes is changing.
The findings highlight how unpaid carers are increasingly holding the care system together, while also balancing jobs, families and emotional strain. Despite growing awareness of future care needs, most people are still seeking care during moments of crisis, when choice, time and support are limited.
More working adults are caring for a parent
The research shows a clear shift in who is providing care. In 2025, more working adults cared for an older relative than for a child, reflecting both an ageing population and later retirement ages.
Around 60 per cent of people searching for care homes were doing so for a parent, and two-thirds of those searches were made by daughters. This reinforces evidence that women continue to shoulder the majority of unpaid caring responsibilities.
Many carers are balancing employment alongside complex care decisions, often with little practical or emotional support. This growing pressure is increasingly recognised as a workplace issue, not just a private family matter.
Care is still sought in crisis situations
Despite signs that people are beginning to research care earlier, urgency continues to dominate care decisions. In 2025, 52 per cent of people needed care within one month, and 16 per cent needed care within one week.
Care searches are often triggered by hospital admissions, falls, sudden declines in health or the death of a partner. When decisions are made under intense pressure, families may accept placements that are not the right long-term fit.
Frequently asked questions about care decisions in the UK
More families are struggling because the UK population is ageing, more people are working later in life, and unpaid carers are balancing jobs alongside caring responsibilities. Many families only look for care after a health crisis, which limits time, choice and support.
Most families need to act fast. Over half of people searching for care homes need support within one month, and around one in six need care within a week. This urgency often follows hospital admissions, falls or sudden declines in health.
Care is most often paid for privately. Around seven in ten people who know how they will fund care expect to self-fund. Fewer older people now receive long-term local authority funding than in previous decades. For more information, read our guide to UK home care funding.
For some people, live-in care can be an alternative to a care home. Live-in care allows an older person to stay in their own home with dedicated one-to-one support.
Families can reduce the risk of rushed decisions by starting conversations early, understanding funding options in advance, and learning about different types of care before a crisis occurs.
Care funding confusion adds to family stress
Paying for care remains one of the most difficult and poorly understood parts of the care journey. While 69 per cent of people who know how they will fund care expect to self-fund, many report receiving little guidance once they are deemed ineligible for local authority support.
More than one in five people do not know whether care will be self-funded or state-funded, and one in ten expect to pay top-up fees on top of council funding. Although enquiries for state-funded care are rising, fewer older people now receive long-term local authority support, leaving families facing major financial decisions with limited information.
How live-in care and Elder can help
For some families, live-in care offers an alternative to residential care, providing one-to-one support while allowing older people to remain at home. Elder’s live-in care service can support people following a hospital discharge or as care needs change, helping families avoid rushed decisions.
