Our guides rely on primary sources wherever possible: the government bodies that run benefits and services, the health services that publish guidance, the regulators that inspect care services, and established charities with deep experience of caring. This page lists the main organisations we use and explains how we use them. Each guide also lists the specific pages it cites.
How we use sources
- Primary first. For eligibility rules, benefits, charges and official guidance, we go to the organisation responsible for them.
- Dated and linked. Figures that change, such as benefit rates or care costs, are stated with a year and a link so you can check the latest version.
- Country-specific. UK guides cite UK sources; US guides cite US sources. Rules often differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and between US states, and we say so where it matters.
- Checked, not copied. We summarise in plain English and check our summary against the original before publishing. See our editorial policy.
Inclusion on this list does not mean an organisation endorses CareTaskNest, and we have no commercial relationship with any of them.
United Kingdom
Government, health services and regulators
- NHS – health information and guidance on social care and support. nhs.uk
- GOV.UK – official information on benefits such as Carer's Allowance and Attendance Allowance, and on lasting power of attorney. gov.uk
- nidirect – official government information for Northern Ireland. nidirect.gov.uk
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, including inspection reports. cqc.org.uk
- Care Inspectorate – the regulator of care services in Scotland. careinspectorate.com
- Care Inspectorate Wales – the regulator of social care in Wales. careinspectorate.wales
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – guidance on health and social care. nice.org.uk
Charities
- Age UK – information and advice for older people and their families. ageuk.org.uk
- Carers UK – advice and support for unpaid carers. carersuk.org
- Alzheimer's Society – information and support for people affected by dementia. alzheimers.org.uk
United States
Government agencies and official programmes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – public health guidance, including falls prevention and caregiving. cdc.gov
- National Institute on Aging (NIA) – research-based information on ageing, caregiving and dementia. nia.nih.gov
- Administration for Community Living (ACL) – federal programmes supporting older adults, disabled people and family caregivers. acl.gov
- Eldercare Locator – a public service of ACL that connects people to local ageing services. eldercare.acl.gov
- Medicare.gov – official information on Medicare coverage, including home health care. medicare.gov
- Medicaid.gov – official information on Medicaid, including home and community-based services. medicaid.gov
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – health care and caregiver support for veterans. va.gov
Non-profit organisations
- ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center – information on respite care and how to find it. archrespite.org
- Family Caregiver Alliance – practical resources for family caregivers. caregiver.org
Suggesting a source
If you know an authoritative source we should consider, or a link on our site no longer works, please tell us through the contact page.