You don't have to do this blind.
There is never a perfect time to move someone you love into memory care. I know, because I lived it from another state, helping my mom through my dad's falls, his loss of self, and her own loss of connection. The guilt, the sadness, the hard choices: I've felt every one of them.
I started the Memory Care Project so other families don't have to do it blind. I'll help you take that first step with clarity and build a real partnership with the people caring for your loved one every day, so you can get back to savoring the moments that matter. I'm here to help.
I have a loved one with dementia
Deciding if it's time, choosing a community, settling in, or speaking up when something feels off. Independent help, paid only by you.
How I help families →I lead a memory care community
Family experience audits, retention assessments, staff training, and advisory built on the Five-Pillar Method.
How I work with communities →
Caring for the people who raised you, while raising the people who need you.
I was in the middle. Two boys at home, and parents in another state who needed more of me every month. I spent years supporting my mom from afar as she navigated my dad's falls, his loss of self, and her own loss of connection. She was brave, and I was doing it blind.
I know the conflict of wanting the best for your family while having to make hard choices for everyone. If you're living it now, you're not failing anyone. You're carrying more than one person should carry alone.
Read "Sitting with Snakes" →This is not his first hallucination. It is the first one he has invited me into.
He does not want correction. He does not want data. He wants someone to sit with him while the snakes breathe.
"Technology can tell families what happened. Someone still has to tell them what it means."
— Gina Harrison, CDP®Expertise aimed at the problem in front of you
Families and communities usually reach out when something can't wait. We start with the most pressing problem, and you leave every conversation knowing what to do next.
Dementia-informed guidance
Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP®). My work is grounded in established approaches, including the Alzheimer's Association Dementia Care Practice Recommendations, Positive Approach® to Care, and Validation.
Evidence from inside the work
I'm studying memory care across Colorado and California from three sides: executive directors, direct care staff, and families. I see where their views split, and that's where problems start.
Clear, calm, and written down
I make complicated things simple. You get plain language, written next steps, and a reply within one business day.
Five things that decide whether families trust the care
Good clinical care isn't enough on its own. Families judge a community by how it communicates, follows through, teaches, includes them, and responds. Communities use these pillars to find their gaps. Families use them to ask better questions.
Communication
Families hear about changes before they have to ask.
Trust
Honesty when things go wrong, and follow-through on every concern.
Education
Families understand what's happening and what comes next.
Engagement
Families are partners in care, not visitors.
Responsiveness
No question goes unanswered, and no staff member is left alone under pressure.
The Family Experience Benchmark Report
The first study to compare what executive directors, direct care staff, and families each see in memory care, and where those views split. The split is where trust breaks down.
If you have a loved one in care, care for someone at home, or work in memory care, your experience belongs in it. The survey takes about 5 minutes and is anonymous.
Dementia Care Companion
Weekly, plain-language updates about your loved one, written from what care staff actually observe. Now piloting with a memory care community in California.
Notes from inside memory care
What I'm learning from families, care staff, and community leaders, and what you can do with it.