When her mother began showing signs of memory loss, Madeleine*, 62, stepped in to help her with daily tasks, chores, and admin. She had watched her grandmother live with dementia, and knew the signs to watch out for.
After her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2022, at 84 years old, Madeline lined up NHS and private carers for her, but she refused to let any of them into her home. “She was so furious about having anyone in the house, and her loss of independence,” says Madeleine, who lives in West Sussex, and works as an admissions officer at a higher education college. “It was such a tough time.”
“My siblings [a younger brother and younger sister] didn’t really get involved in the day-to-day of it,” she says. “They’d pop in to say hello, but they weren’t facing the tough stuff head on. When they did occasionally help, I was never really off duty. I don’t like the word ‘duty’ as it’s my mum and I love her, but it was gruelling at times, and it affected my mental health, my job, my marriage and everything else, really.”
After a year of this, Madeleine managed to convince her mum to attend a day centre – it went well, and allowed them to start talking about residential care. “I got her home situation assessed and it became clear that she wasn’t safe living there anymore. I found a residential home which seemed just right. It was really tough for me to admit that this was the right path to take, but my siblings didn’t want to discuss the idea. They both kept saying she didn’t need to be in a home, and then my sister all of a sudden said that Mum should go and live with her.”
How to be more grateful for daily life in five easy steps
The world feels like a difficult place at the moment, and it can feel very hard sometimes to find things to be thankful for; when we are overwhelmed, we have less capacity to notice and reflect on the good things. Yet, ironically, proactively cultivating gratitude is one of the things that can actually help us feel less stressed.
NHS GP dR RADHA
The science
Research has shown that feeling or expressing thanks can actually alter our brain.
- The balance of neurotransmitters change; more serotonin and dopamine (feel good chemicals) are produced.
- This can be long lasting if we make gratitude a regular habit.
- We also get a decrease in our cortisol (stress hormone) levels which helps lower anxiety.
- Being grateful can strengthen the nerve pathways which triggers positive emotion.
How can we build gratitude?
Change your words
Instead of seeing something as a problem, try to see the opportunities within it.
Our brains are very receptive and what we read or write can alter our emotional system.
Express it
This will not only make you feel good, but you will also get a positive response from others.
How can we build gratitude?
Notice more
Throughout your day, try to notice all the things that are going well; has someone opened a door for you, or smiled?
The basics
By being thankful for the small things every day, we are far more likely to be and stay healthy so that we can enjoy them.
What to do
Gratitude can lead to feelings of optimism, lower our blood pressure, and improve sleep quality.
- Write down what potential good aspects there are to the things you don’t feel like doing, or even what could be worse about it.
- Spend a few minutes writing down three things that you are looking forward to that day, or the good things that have happened to you that day.
- Say thank you to yourself for the things you have achieved, or managed to get through and changed that day.
Sales of battery
electric vehicles hit a record high last year.
Starts at £22,995 for the smaller battery
Available with either a 40kWh battery or a larger 52kWh pack, that offers almost 255 miles, the latest, retro-inspired Renault 5 is both a joy to behold and a hoot to drive.
The interior has been lavished with a level of detail that’s typically reserved for more expensive cars.
4 min read
A champion of EV efficiency
It offers a remarkable 491 mile range on a single charge from the 85kWh battery.
It is a technological masterclass inside with the ability to option screens that span the entire width of the dashboard, including an optional display for the front passenger.
Priced from £37,400
2 min read
It’s a lot of money to part with, but this is arguably all the car you will ever need.
The £89,000 Macan is a premium SUV that somehow manages to blend Porsche’s reputation for dynamics and sporty driving with everyday practicality.
The 95kWh batteries can go from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 21 minutes from the fastest public charging outlets.
With the business class-style six seat configuration costing a staggering £76,995, it is by far the most expensive Kia ever made, but it backs up its financial demands with a suite of genuinely useful and impressive onboard technology.
It’s fast, goes a long way between stops and charges relatively quickly but the interior is bland, the onboard technology is infuriating and the experience is devoid of emotion.
All of its gadgetry can’t disguise the fact that performance is weak, even for a typically zippy EV, the ride is fussy at slower speeds and it’s not in the least bit enjoyable to drive on a country road.
- While good value (prices start at £17,935) for the 200-mile max range, there are more interesting options from Hyundai, Citroen and Renault for similar money.
- It attempts to wow with tech, much of which hinders, rather than helps.
- There’s no tangible benefit over mounting your phone to the dash.
- Simply an average driving experience, adequate range and slow charging speeds.
2 min read
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Victorinox paring knife
It’s comfortable to hold, with a point sharp enough for scoring pastry.
ProCook cast iron pan
For unbeatable searing and heat-retention, cast iron is the top choice.
Tesco chopping board
Priced at just £22, I’ve yet to find another board that matches it for sheer value and quality.
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Pyrex jug
It is the perfect vessel for blending smooth sauces, melting butter, or warming stock. It won’t stain like plastic and the red measurements never fade.
Salter scales
“I’ve had my slim little set of Salter Disc Scales for over a decade, and I’m delighted to see they are still made to exactly the same reliable design today.”
Microplane grater
It uses photo-etched stainless steel teeth that stay razor-sharp for a decade, something the lookalike copycats simply can’t match.
Braun hand-held blender
It’s an essential for everything from making velvety soup to getting the lumps out of white sauce.
Bodum cafetiere
As well as delivering great results, cafetieres are easy to clean and there’s no ongoing filter paper costs or pod recycling to deal with.
5 min read
The kitchen gadgets under £25
Oxo peeler
What truly sets it apart is the chunky, rubberised handle that absorbs pressure and stays completely non-slip, even if your hands are wet. It is inexpensive and incredibly durable.
Falcon pie dish
Made by fusing porcelain onto heavy-gauge steel for smooth durability, it is dishwasher, freezer, hob, air-fryer and oven-safe.
The golden rules for a happy, secure relationship
Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr Amir Levine, author of bestselling book , explains why we behave the way we do in love.
Golden rules for happy relationships
Start with your own behaviours
The foundation of a secure, connected life is being what I call CARRP: that means being consistent, available, responsive, reliable and predictable. All of these qualities can be enacted in small gestures every day.
Express your needs
People need consistency and connection to feel safe. This is not, ‘You hurt my feelings by never replying to me’, it’s more ‘this is the kind of contact that helps me feel secure’.
Golden rules for happy relationships
The appendix ‘inflammation’ rule
If a relationship repeatedly inflames your nervous system, you need to disengage and deprioritise it.
Lean on community
You don’t need hundreds of friends. You need people and places that regularly remind you that you belong.
Stop blaming childhood
Humans are much more complicated than: ‘this happened to you, therefore you are doomed to be anxious’.
Reach for a
secure script
When something unsettles you in a relationship, your first reaction is not always the most accurate one.
If you’re anxious, your brain may jump very quickly to: ‘this is the beginning of the end’. If you’re avoidant, your brain may say: ‘this person wants too much from me, I need to get away’. So one very practical thing you can always do is pause and ask: ‘What would a secure person do here?’
Loneliness elsewhere
When people talk about loneliness, they often assume it means you don’t have enough people in your life. But you can be surrounded by people and still feel lonely if those relationships leave you feeling excluded, ignored or disconnected.
What to do
- Build a community that works for your temperament and gives you regular, reliable moments of connection.
- You can still be kind to people while not treating them as someone who belongs in your inner circle.
- Explain what you need. Sometimes people simply don’t realise how you are experiencing them.
- Check in with people: does this person actually feel that I’m reliable? Do they experience me as predictable? That’s the only way that you can start to become more secure.
Do some foods leave
you feeling hungry rather than satiated? Experts say there are…
Foods that leave you hungrier
A bowl of cereal and glass of orange juice
More refined cereals are digested quickly, and fruit juice, whilst one of your five-a-day, contains less fibre than whole fruit. This might mean you find yourself hungry again within 1-2 hours of eating this breakfast.
Swap the orange juice for a whole orange, the cereal for oats and milk or serve it with Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. This would increase the fibre and protein content; two nutrients strongly linked with fullness.
Foods that leave you hungrier
These pastries are made primarily from refined flour and butter, and are relatively low in protein and fibre.
Toast and jam
Shop-bought packs can contain a lot of white rice, which is digested quickly, and the protein content is often modest.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Vegetable soup
On its own, it is often very low in protein and calories, so hunger can return quickly.
Unless it’s loaded with veggies, it’s probably pretty low in fibre.
Liquids are generally less filling as they require little chewing which may not trigger satiety signals.
Foods that leave you hungrier
Snack bars
They are ideal for a quick pick-me-up, but if reducing hunger is what you’re after, it’d be better to swap it out.
Low-fat yoghurt
A full-fat plain Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds tends to be much more filling due to the protein, fat and fibre.
On an empty stomach, it can actually increase your appetite.
What to eat instead
Instead of thinking about avoiding foods, think about what you can add to them.
- Add beans, lentils or shredded chicken to your vegetable soup and pasta.
- Thicken your smoothies with Greek yoghurt, chia seeds and oats.
- Apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with berries and hummus with oat biscuits are better snack options than a pre-made snack bar.
- Have alcohol alongside a balanced meal containing protein and fibre.
How to age well
without pain
Will Harlow, a physiotherapist
for the over-50s and author of Independence for Life, shares
the key signs you’re ageing
badly – and what to do about it.
How to know
Ageing well is maintaining the ability to do what you want you want for as long as you want without needing help. Everyone is talking about longevity but what’s the point in living longer if the last decade is painful and you’re [totally] reliant on people?”
The signs to look out for
- The most obvious early warning sign of bad ageing is pain says Harlow.
- Another is losing confidence in doing daily tasks, which can quickly lead to a lack of independence.
- One call Harlow often receives is people calling after having a fall and struggling to get up.
4 min read
How to age without pain
Not just stopping
When people retire, they often put their feet up and stop. Your body really is use it or lose it.
Throughout our entire lives, Harlow says we need between seven and nine hours of sleep.
Social isolation
The lack of connection can increase the risk of premature death by
as much as 29 per cent.
Strength training
It really is the proxy for
overall independence.
The more muscle mass you have, the less chance of heart disease, diabetes, falls and even anxiety, depression and dementia.
The brain can be linked to muscle mass too, Harlow says. It’s not just about being able to lift things. It gives you more energy, better sleep and you’ll look and feel better.
How to age without pain
Daily habits
Do short bursts of exercise, between 30 and 60 seconds, in otherwise dead time during the day.
Stretch in bed
Take joints through a full range of motion for five minutes to loosen it before getting up.
Don’t crash diet
How to age without pain
Harlow advises 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight to stop muscle loss alongside resistance training.
Don’t wait
Harlow finds that many patients put off making a change to their lifestyle until their lives are consumed by pain.
For most people, it’s about reducing the number of times per week you’re exercising, not reducing intensity.
The three ageing tests to do
- Lie completely flat on the floor and get back up to a standing position using any technique. This should take less than 10 seconds.
See how many times you can sit on the chair and stand back up again in 30 seconds. Men should be aiming for more than 14 times and women 12.
The single-leg stand, which involves standing on one leg and balancing for 10 seconds. Everyone should be able to do that and for those under 65, Harlow asks them to do it with their eyes closed.
Despite the job market hiring fewer entry-level roles, employers are still looking for grads…
But you should be prepared to keep an open mind.
We’ve compiled the sectors hiring graduate roles, what degree is required, and what they pay.
The degrees to choose for a career
Hiring in the UK could
finally be on the up
47%
of employers offered entry-level
positions from July.
That is up nearly 15 per cent from the same period last year.
700,000
But graduate unemployment rose to six per cent in 2025 and 700,000 jobless graduates were claiming benefits.
Finance and insurance
- Around 42 per cent of UK finance and insurance employers say they will be open to graduate roles this summer.
- Business loan company Portman Finance Group has taken on 50 graduates over the past four years.
Portman graduates start on £36,000 for the two-year programme and the education you need to apply is a minimum “ABB” of A-levels, and a 2:1 or above university degree. But not in a specific subject.
Trade and logistics
What makes it particularly rewarding is that there’s always something to learn.
Nearly half (47 per cent) of trade and logistics companies will be giving graduates a go this year.
Salaries start at £30,000 with an uncapped bonus, rising to £50,000 plus a company car as a senior account partner.
Technology and IT
More than half (52 per cent) of UK tech and IT firms are actively looking for graduates.
Successful entry-level candidates can earn a basic salary of up to £35,000, with the opportunity to triple that within their first three years of working.
4 min read
Public sector, health
and social services
46 per cent of public sector, health and social services organisations are also ready to take graduates, according to a survey by Manpower.
- For example, Police Now runs a graduate programme into policing. They recruit graduates from any degree field, as long as they achieve a 2:2 or above. Starting salaries range from £31,164 to £42,210 depending on location and rising each year.
Can we treat guests without blowing our budget?
According to Waitrose, a dinner party revival is underway led by younger people trying to reduce the cost of getting together.
Always have bread
People will feast on the
ELLA RISBRIDGER, AUTHOR OF THE KITCHEN BOOK – GOOD FOOD FOR EVERY DAY
bread, and then need less fish/steak/expensive whatever. All small plates restaurants know this: this is why the first thing on the menu is always artisan bread and butter.
Use vegetables as centrepieces
Add pantry items
Graham’s recipes include a braised cabbage with a preserved lemon sauce, a roast cauliflower with saffron, and harrisa roast carrots with mango labneh.
How to host on a budget
Improve the everyday
Guests will always appreciate a stellar interpretation of the ordinary. Think lasagna or curry.
Cooking dinner for your guests is spoiling them – you’re being generous with your time, your effort, and your home. So don’t feel the need to go overboard elsewhere.
Ask for help
Ask friends to bring a contribution, be it a nibble or a pudding.
Big platter energy
[Presentation] can be the key to elevating something . Spaghetti and tomato sauce suddenly looks like a feast when tumbled on a lovely big plate, dressed with olive oil and parmesan and placed in the middle of the table.
Food writer and editor Eleanor Steafel
How to host on a budget
Taco party
Have one expensive filling, like shredded chicken, and two cheaper options, like refried beans, says Ella Risbridger.
Shop-bought ice cream is so easily zhuzhed up with the help of handy toppings, says Eleanor Steafel.
Madeleine didn’t feel her sister’s proposition had been properly thought through, and worried she was being “naive” about the level of care someone with dementia actually needs. “My sister is quite an unreliable, unpredictable person, and has considerable challenges in life,” says Madeleine, “and I knew this just wouldn’t work out.”
The siblings both pushed harder against the care home, but Madeline had the final say. “I had lasting power of attorney [LPA] for my mum, which she’d granted me in her early 50s, and so there was nothing my siblings could do to stop me. I didn’t want to have to mention that aspect, I hoped we’d all agree without any legal trump cards, but in the end, that was the reality.” Social services also agreed that a residential home would be the best course of action.
Within a few months, Madeline’s mother had settled in to the home, and seemed less angry and frustrated. She was calmer, and the care seemed good. “I have no doubt that the care home was the right path to help our mum with the immense difficulty of a dementia diagnosis, but it seems to have cost me my relationship with my brother and sister. For a year or so, neither spoke to me at all. Now my brother and I are on decent terms again, but my sister has almost nothing to do with me. She is still very angry with me, and with the fact that I called the shots in the end. I only did what I felt was best, but she won’t recognise that, and I’m not sure what I can do to change her mind.”
Disagreements between siblings over the care of an older relative are far more common than people might imagine, says Jane Connery, the director and founder of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable. “Caring for somebody you love can bring enormous pressure,” she says, “and existing family dynamics can very quickly come to the surface when difficult decisions have to be made.”
A key factor in such situations is who holds lasting power of attorney. An LPA is a legal document that lets you appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf if you lose mental capacity to do so, or you need help managing your affairs. There are LPAs for property and financial affairs, and LPAs for health and care decisions – the same person can be appointed for both, or you can have multiple attorneys to take care of different aspects of your life.
How to organise your power of attorney
- To nominate someone as your power of attorney, they must be over 18 and have the mental capacity to make their own decisions. They cannot be bankrupt or subject to a debt relief order, but they do not have to live in the UK or be a British citizen.
- You can appoint more than one attorney, and should make clear in advance whether they will act together and separately, or only together. You can also appoint replacement attorneys to step in if your nominated person is unable to fulfil the role.
- You can apply for lasting power of attorney (LPA) using online or paper forms. The original forms (not copies) must be signed in ink by the attorneys, witnesses, and a certificate provider, who confirms you are acting by fully informed choice. The Office of the Public Guardian can help if you lack a computer or printer, or need help with the online forms. Before registering, you must send a form to notify relevant people.
- Registration costs £92, unless you qualify for a reduction or exemption (for example, if you earn less than £12,000).
- Registration takes eight to ten weeks once the Office of the Public Guardian has a correctly completed LPA. If an attorney dies, or you or an attorney change name or address, you must apply for an amendment. Attorneys can also be removed.
“There can be disagreements about finances, the choice of care home, medical treatment, visiting, whether that vulnerable relative needs more support at home, and even about how much risk the relative should be allowed to take at home.” One thing that frequently arises, as in Madeleine’s case, is that one sibling might provide most of the day-to-day support, while another lives further away or is less involved. “Their experience of the parent’s needs can therefore be completely different,” says Connery. What happens to a parent or relative’s money is a major flashpoint: complaints and concerns regarding alleged financial misconduct or misuse of an LPA reached a record 11,910 this year.
If these choices can be tough enough in nuclear families, then they can be all the more thorny in blended families. “This is particularly the case where there are second marriages, stepchildren, or different people holding lasting powers of attorney [LPA]”, says Connery. “I’ve encountered families where disagreements about who should make decisions have become almost as significant as the original care issue.”
This appears to be the case for the family of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the British explorer, who has not been seen in public for two years. Sir Ranulph, who has Parkinson’s disease, is in the care of his second wife Louise Millington-Cotes, who has power of attorney. Questions have been raised about his welfare by his relatives. His cousin, the actor Joseph Fiennes, wrote in January to the Office of the Public Guardian [the agency which looks after LPAs], setting out concerns about Ranulph being cut off from his friends and family. Millington-Cotes has been accused by Ranulph’s family and friends of moving him between different care homes, under pseudonyms, and restricting visitation.
Cheshire police issued a statement on Monday in which they said they did not have “safeguarding concerns” regarding the 82-year-old. It said officers were “satisfied that Sir Ranulph Fiennes is living in an appropriate setting with suitable care and professional oversight”.
Yet, Alexander Millington-Cotes – who is estranged from his mother, Louise, Sir Ranulph’s wife – said a wide group of friends were concerned the police did not have the full picture.
Evonne Cheffings, from Town & Country Law, specialises in will writing and LPAs, says: “The risk of massive disagreement over the power of attorney is lower in a nuclear family,” she says, “as people are more likely to be on similar wavelengths. Conflict more often happens in families where someone has remarried, and they only appoint their new partner as their power of attorney instead of a child from their first marriage. A power of attorney can give that sole person access to bank accounts, every aspect of a person’s life, and it can run the risk of depleting funds within the account that the child from the first marriage might potentially inherit.”
There have been instances of the misuse and abuse of an LPA. “It’s not unheard of,” says Cheffings, “that someone with power of attorney has taken money out of bank accounts from an elderly, vulnerable person. But this tends to happen if someone appoints a power of attorney once they’re at crisis point, rather than many years beforehand. If done properly, well ahead of when it might be needed, then they’ll be far more sure they’re picking the right person, who they trust explicitly with all their affairs, from health and welfare to property and financial.”
It has been reported that the Office of the Public Guardian has faced severe strain due to an unprecedented surge in LPA applications, which have grown from 700,000 in 2020–21 to 1.6 million a year. The agency holds power of attorney records for more than eight million people in England and Wales, but in 2024 it investigated fewer than one per cent of the cases brought to its attention.
In 2025, the story of John Willcox illustrated how, in handing over responsibility for their financial assets, vulnerable people can sometimes be put at risk by their own relatives. Willcox’s family said that his eldest granddaughter, Amy, had taken control over his life. She stopped any contact between Willcox and the rest of his family, including Barbara, his wife of many years. With his granddaughter’s help, Willcox had altered his will, giving her power of attorney, and then had been left to live by himself, confused, isolated, and suffering from dementia. He was eventually reunited with his family, and was able to get the power of attorney and the new will cast aside, before dying peacefully at home.
Experts, however, advise that having an LPA in place is absolutely the best way to safeguard yourself, your health and your future. Without it, loved ones have no automatic legal right to access your bank accounts, pay your bills, or make medical and care decisions if you lose mental capacity.
TV presenter Kate Garraway faced severe legal and financial difficulties during her late husband Derek Draper’s COVID-19 illness and subsequent complications and care needs, because he had not set up an LPA. She spoke out about how she was unable to access funds to manage her husband’s care or refinance her mortgage. She didn’t even have the legal right to see his medical notes. Being married was not enough.
In her experience with the legal fallout of not having an LPA, Cheffings advises that everyone set one up before they hit “crisis point”. She recommends facing the issue head on, even if it seems morbid. “Get it in place as soon as possible, while you have full mental capacity,” she says. Connery advises thinking carefully about who you appoint as your attorneys. “Talk openly with them about your wishes,” she says, “and record important preferences about future care. An LPA should not simply be viewed as paperwork for old age. Done properly, it is an opportunity to make your voice clearer if there comes a time when you cannot easily speak for yourself.”
If a family is in disagreement over the best care for an elderly, or vulnerable, relative, Connery recommends moving the conversation away from “what do I want?” and back to “what does mum or dad want, and what is in their best interests?”. Where the person still has capacity to make the particular decision, their wishes are central, even if relatives disagree with them. “Where capacity has been lost,” she says, “families should look carefully at the person’s previously expressed wishes and feelings, beliefs and values, alongside their current needs and safety.” None of this means that a family will agree on care, or avoid conflict, but it might help relatives focus on the most important issue; their elderly or vulnerable loved one’s welfare.
“After many years supporting families,” she says, “one thing I would encourage everyone to do is have these conversations while you still have the luxury of time.”