Planning for the future
Planning for the day you can no longer do this yourself.
For parents and families who have been the main support for an adult son or daughter — often for decades — and have started, quietly, to think about what happens next.
“The best time to put the right support in place is while you are still here to oversee it.”
Vierka Hiscock, DirectorThe question almost no one asks out loud
For years, you have been the one who holds it all together. The appointments, the routines, the crises, the small daily things no one else notices. And somewhere underneath it, a question you have probably not said aloud:
“What happens to my son or daughter when I am no longer able to do this?”
It is the most important question many families never get to plan for — because the day-to-day leaves no room, because it is frightening, and because most services only appear once there is already a crisis.
We think that is the wrong way round. The calmest, safest transitions are the ones planned gently, over time, while you are still here to shape them.
What planning ahead looks like with us
Building independence now — not in an emergency later
Future planning is not about handing your son or daughter to strangers. It is about gradually building a stable, trusted support arrangement around them while you can still guide it.
Start small, build trust
We begin with a level of support that feels comfortable — sometimes only a few hours a week — and let the relationship grow at the person’s pace, not a timetable’s.
Reduce dependence gradually
Over time we take on more of what you currently carry, so the change is gentle and barely noticed — rather than a sudden cliff-edge after a crisis or bereavement.
A team that continues
The same two or three workers stay with the person year after year. The relationship — and the knowledge of how to support them well — continues when you no longer can.
Supported and independent living
Where the goal is a home of their own, we support the move toward more independent or supported living, carefully and at the right time.
Working with your professionals
We work alongside deputies, solicitors, social workers and case managers, and contribute to the longer-term plans already in place around the person.
Written down, kept current
Routines, preferences, triggers and wishes are recorded and kept live in Nourish — so the knowledge in your head is never lost.
What happens when nobody plans
The hardest transitions are the unplanned ones
Many families assume there will always be time. In reality, support is often arranged suddenly — and not at a moment of anyone’s choosing:
- after a hospital admission
- after a fall or sudden illness
- when a parent’s own health changes
- after a bereavement
- when a situation deteriorates faster than expected
At that point, decisions are made quickly, under pressure, and sometimes by people who do not know your son or daughter the way you do. Planning ahead gives them something different: time, choice, continuity, and familiar faces. That is a gift to your son or daughter — and a relief to you.
How it works
A gentle, unhurried path
A confidential conversation
No obligation. You tell us about your son or daughter, what works, what worries you, and what you would like the future to look like.
An honest view on fit
We tell you honestly whether we are the right people. If we are not, we will say so — and often suggest who might be.
A gentle introduction
We begin with a small, comfortable amount of support so trust can build between your son or daughter and their core workers.
Building the team and the plan
We grow the support and the written plan together — routines, goals, independence, and the people who will provide it.
You step back at your pace
As trust grows, you hand over more — on your timescale, watching it work, never all at once.
Continuity that lasts
The relationship and the standard continue for the long term. Some of the people we support have been with us nine years.
“Her family no longer counts the years — they count the things she’s done in them.”
Olive · with Care Horizons since 2017A planned transition
Betty’s story
From her parents’ home to her own front door
Betty’s parents had supported her at home into her late thirties, and had begun to worry about what the future held. Rather than wait for a crisis, they planned ahead. We started small, then walked alongside Betty for eighteen months — money, routines, neighbours, the practicalities of her own home.
She made the move while her parents were still there to see it settle. Today Betty lives independently with the right support around her — and now mentors a younger client in our service. The transition was a decision, not an emergency.
It is never too early to talk.
If you have started thinking about the future for someone you love, a quiet, confidential conversation is the best first step. Nothing has to be decided. We will simply listen, and tell you honestly how we might help.
0117 405 4320 [email protected] Start a confidential conversation Confidential and unhurried. You reach senior people who know the work — Jo Sparrow and Jessica White take enquiries, with Vierka Hiscock overseeing every case. We normally respond within one working day.