Helpful Stuff for Your Journey
BEFRIENDED HEART videos
Joy in Dementia: My YouTube Channel
Positive and practical videos based on my personal + professional experience. My guest experts and I make recommendations specifically for long-distance caregiving caregivers. Learn how to best care for your parents financially, legally, nutritionally, etc.
“I’m so glad to have found your [YouTube] channel! My father has Dementia. He’s 91, mom is 87 and his primary caregiver. I live 45 minutes away and I’m trying my best to help them. My mother has no patience with my father and I’m trying to help her learn new ways to communicate better with my dad ❤️" - Kathy P.
for your parents
How to Improve Their Home
Do your Parents need to make their home more comfortable? Maybe it’s harder for them to get up the stairs, or your Forgetful Parent is falling in the shower. Evaluate their needs, find financial assistance and learn how to hire a contractor all on this handy page!
How to Handle Debt After Retiring
Worried about your parents’ finances right now? Especially with the added expense of dementia? Here are some tips for your parents to decrease debt after retirement. You can also forward this link to them!
WeBsites I RECOMMEND
Genworth - Cost of Long-Term Care (USA)
It’s incredibly hard to estimate financial costs for the future. Especially when you don’t know the price of long-term health care for your exact location. But now you do!
This excellent website gives you a median estimate for in-home care, community and assisted living, and nursing homes, all based on the city, state or zip code you enter! You can even compare TWO locations, so you can check if care for Your Parents is more expensive where they live, or where you live. How cool is that?!
An amazing resource! Enter your parents’ zip code and find the best dementia-friendly organizations nearby.
Check out this link to see if your parents’ community is listed here yet!
DFA is a grassroots effort that began in 2019 to ensure cities and towns in the US are supporting people with dementia and their caregivers. I’m a member of the Dementia Friendly America committee in Herndon, Virginia, and I really stand by this effort.
Home Care Association of America: Choosing a Home Care Provider
Read the “Key Considerations” text first, then click “Find an HCAOA Provider Near You.” You’ll enter Your Parents’ zip code and you’ll see all the home care agencies nearby.
HCAOA is the only association that exists specifically for home care businesses and requires their members meet rigorous standards. These standards include: 24/7 care, background checks for all employees, etc.
(Just a note: home care, also known as companion care, is not the same service as home health)