Summary: The Care Podcast has reached 1,000 downloads across podcast platforms, with 36 episodes since launching in September 2025. Here’s a look at the honest conversations, expert guests and personal experiences behind this lovely milestone.

When someone you love needs care, there can be so many questions running through your mind. Where do you start? Who can you turn to? And how do you know you’re making the right decisions?

Sometimes, what helps most is hearing from someone who understands what you’re going through. Someone who’s been there themselves, or who has the experience to help make things a little clearer.

That was the thinking behind The Care Podcast when we launched it in September 2025. We wanted to create a space for honest, down-to-earth conversations about care, with people who have something genuinely useful to share.

And now, just over a year and 36 episodes later, we’ve reached 1,000 podcast downloads! Alongside around 2,000 views on YouTube, it’s a lovely milestone for our little podcast, and one we’re really pleased to share.

Why we started The Care Podcast

Working in care, we know that families often find themselves navigating situations they’ve never faced before.

Perhaps a parent has recently been diagnosed with dementia. Maybe you’ve started noticing they need a little more help at home. Or perhaps you’re already caring for someone and wondering how long you can keep managing everything yourself.

There isn’t always a straightforward answer, and it’s not always easy to know who to ask. That’s why we wanted The Care Podcast to be about more than simply explaining care services.

Hosted by Jo Cleary, our Learning & Development Manager, it’s a chance to sit down with people who really understand these experiences. Sometimes that’s a professional who has spent years supporting families. Other times, it’s someone who’s been through it personally and is happy to share what they’ve learnt along the way.

And often, it’s those personal experiences that help people realise they’re not the only ones facing these questions.

Some wonderful conversations along the way

One of the nicest things about making The Care Podcast has been the variety of people who’ve joined us and the different perspectives they’ve brought.

We’ve welcomed Dr Jane Townson OBE, Chief Executive of the Homecare Association, to talk about something many families worry about: how can you tell whether a care provider is actually good? It’s the sort of question that can feel overwhelming when you’re comparing options for someone you love.

We’ve also spoken with Sarah Cooper, an Admiral Nurse, about what happens after a dementia diagnosis. Because while a diagnosis can answer some questions, it can bring plenty of new ones too, particularly for the family members supporting someone day to day.

Dominique Kent, CEO of Bluecrest Wellness, joined us to explore preventative health and why thinking about our wellbeing as we get older is worth having a conversation about.

But it’s not only the professionals who’ve made these conversations so valuable. We’ve also had the privilege of hearing from people who’ve experienced care first-hand. People who’ve had to make difficult decisions for their parents, adjust to changing circumstances or learn things they wish they’d known sooner.

These are the conversations that can be particularly meaningful because hearing how someone else approached a difficult situation can help you think about your own.

Across the episodes, we’ve talked about everything from choosing a care provider and understanding dementia to the emotions that can come with accepting help at home, and there’s still so much more to talk about.

A few words from Jo Cleary, Host of The Care Podcast

Thank you for being part of The Care Podcast

Of course, 1,000 downloads is a number we’re very happy to celebrate, but behind that number are people who’ve chosen to spend some of their time listening to these conversations.

Perhaps an episode has helped someone understand what to expect when arranging care. Maybe it’s introduced them to a service they didn’t know existed, or simply given them another perspective on something they’ve been worrying about.

That’s what we hoped The Care Podcast could offer when we first started. So, we want to give a big thank you to all our guests for being so open with their knowledge and experiences, and to everyone who’s listened, watched or shared an episode with someone they know. We’re looking forward to plenty more conversations.

Where to listen to The Care Podcast

If you haven’t discovered The Care Podcast yet, there’s a whole collection of conversations to explore. Whether you’re looking for answers about care, supporting someone you love or simply interested in hearing other people’s experiences, we hope you’ll find something useful.

You can explore all 36 episodes of The Care Podcast, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. And if there’s a subject you’d love us to talk about in a future episode, we’d love to hear your suggestions.