Hi, I'm Chantelle.

I'm an Occupational Therapist, and like many people who find themselves supporting ageing parents, I never expected to become quite so familiar with hospitals, care services, discharge planning, benefits, equipment, falls, medication lists and all the other things that seem to arrive alongside later life.

For years, I worked in healthcare supporting people to live as independently as possible. Professionally, I understood how health and social care systems worked.

Then life gave me a different perspective.

Over the past few years, I've supported my own elderly and disabled parents through serious illness, hospital admissions, falls, increasing care needs and the day-to-day realities that many families quietly manage behind the scenes.

What I've learned is that caring for ageing parents can feel overwhelming.

Not because families don't care.

Not because they're doing anything wrong.

But because nobody really explains any of it.

Nobody hands you a guide to understanding hospital discharge planning, care packages, Attendance Allowance, Lasting Powers of Attorney, equipment, dementia, falls, social care funding, or how to support independence whilst also worrying about safety.

Most people are trying to figure it out as they go.

The OT Who Cares exists to help make that a little easier.

Here you'll find practical, evidence-informed information about ageing, independence, health, care and the challenges that can come with supporting older parents.

My aim isn't to tell you what decisions to make.

It's to help you better understand the options, ask informed questions and feel more confident supporting the people you love.

Because whilst growing older is a normal part of life, understanding the systems, services and decisions that often come with it can feel anything but straightforward.

If you're supporting ageing parents and wondering whether you're doing the right thing, you're not alone.

I hope you'll find something here that helps you feel a little more informed, a little more prepared and a little less overwhelmed.