I have a domestic carpet cleaner (I cannot manage anything as heavy as the hire machines). However, it does leave the carpet quite wet - in other words, the suction is not good enough at collecting the waste water. That means the carpet takes a while to dry and it's best if I can leave doors/windows...

My husband was self-funding but Social Services/hospital discharge team did organise his care as I kept saying (broken record technique) that he was not capable of doing it himself and I could not do it for him (insert reason here - too ill yourself, too busy doing everything else for caree etc). Al...

I am sorry to read your story. I can only offer a few suggestions as my own situation was somewhat different. Firstly, if your mother will not admit that she cannot cope, you will have the unenviable task of arguing against her. I suggest that the 'broken record' message is that if your father is di...

Paul, I am sorry to cast aspersions on your father, but this does sound as if he could be frightened about what will happen to him if anything bad happens to you. Certainly there are echoes of my Mum in what I read in your posts and her life had narrowed to the point that everything was seen through...

I think it's important to say, in case someone else is browsing the forum and starting to worry: "don't panic"! Do what Chris is doing and get a proper forecast. All the advice sites say that it is impossible to calculate yourself. Just to give a more optimistic perspective: DH was in a contracted o...

If you can only do something with help say so, don't just answer 'yes'. If a condition fluctuates, remember to describe how it is on a bad day. If you are filling this in for yourself, is there someone who would help e.g. reminding you of examples to give and making sure you don't gloss over anythin...

Round here, the British Heart Foundation shops are great at taking furniture and they accept electrical items (they have people to test them). Worth a try? Or Emmaus if there is one near you?

Rosemary, are you able/willing to say what treatment you fear your mother might be pushed into/refused if she declines the operation? I can only give you anecdotal evidence from my own family. Person one refused further chemotherapy when a tumour regrew. They were offered ongoing scans and monitorin...

The frozen East - competitive snowfall picture.

8 inches and snowing ...