The Blog

Thoughtful writing for families in decision mode.

Practical guides, real-talk about cost and timing, and what to look for when you tour any adult family home in King County.

7 min readBecca Pitts

Senior Move Management: Helping Your Parent Transition with Less Stress

How senior move managers help families navigate the physical and emotional process of downsizing and moving. A practical guide for Burien and South King County families preparing for a parent's transition.

Senior MoveDownsizingTransitionFamily Caregiving
10 min readBecca Pitts

Reverse Mortgage Q&A: What Seniors and Families Actually Need to Know

Straight answers about reverse mortgages for seniors and their families. How they work, who they are for, common misconceptions, and how families use home equity to help pay for care.

Reverse MortgageSenior FinanceHome EquityFamily Planning
7 min readBecca Pitts

Planning Ahead: What Families Need to Know About Prepaid Cremation

Conversation with The Neptune Society about prepaid cremation and end-of-life planning. A gentle, practical guide for families navigating one of the most important conversations they will ever have.

End of Life PlanningCremationFamily PlanningSenior Care
7 min readBecca Pitts

Senior Home Maintenance: Keeping Your Parent's Home Safe and Livable

Becca talks with Para Home Services about home maintenance for seniors aging in place. Learn which safety modifications matter most, common hazards to address, and how to know when staying home is no longer the safest option.

Home MaintenanceAging in PlaceSenior SafetyCaregiving
7 min readBecca Pitts

Home Care vs Home Health: What's the Difference and What You Need to Know

Explaining the crucial difference between home care services and home health services.

Home CareHome HealthSenior Care OptionsCaregiving
10 min readBecca Pitts

Estate Planning 101: Wills, Trusts, Pay-on-Death Accounts, and Power of Attorney Explained

Breaking down essential estate planning tools families need.

Estate PlanningLegal PlanningPower of AttorneySenior Care
8 min readBecca Pitts

Understanding Hospice Care: What It Is, When It's Time, and What to Expect

Becca sits down with a local hospice care professional to explain what hospice really is and isn't.

Hospice CareEnd of LifeFamily CaregivingSenior Care
9 min readBecca Pitts

Adult Family Home vs. Assisted Living: What Burien Families Actually Need to Know Before Choosing

The real differences between adult family homes and assisted living facilities in Washington State -- staffing ratios, costs, Medicaid coverage, and what daily life actually looks like in each.

Choosing CareAdult Family HomeSenior CareWashington State
7 min readBecca Pitts

Dirt Under Our Nails and Sun on Our Faces: Inside the Spring Planting Party at Burien Best Care Home

The real story behind Burien Best Care Home's spring planting party -- raised cedar garden beds, wheelchair-accessible design, and what a community event at a small adult family home actually looks like.

Life at the HomeCommunityGarden TherapyMemory Care
17 min readBecca Pitts

When Mom Stops Eating: A Burien Family's Guide to the Grief Nobody Talks About

When a parent with dementia stops eating, families face a grief nobody prepared them for. A Burien adult family home owner explains what is really happening and what genuinely helps.

Memory CareBurien
16 min readBecca Pitts

When She Won't Let You Bathe Her: Why Bathing Refusal in Dementia Isn't Defiance, and Why You May Not Be the Right Person to Win This Fight

Bathing refusal in dementia is not defiance. A Burien adult family home owner explains why your parent resists, why you may not be the right person to win this fight, and what helps.

Memory CareBurien
17 min readBecca Pitts

The First Time She Didn't Know Me: Ambiguous Loss, Dementia, and How to Visit a Parent Who Has Already Started to Leave

A Burien adult family home owner names the grief most families feel but cannot find words for. Ambiguous loss, the long goodbye, and how to keep visiting a parent with dementia when they do not recognize you anymore.

Memory CareBurien
25 min readBecca Pitts

When Mom's Money Runs Out: The Honest Guide to COPES, Medicaid, and Paying for an Adult Family Home in Burien, WA

How the Washington COPES Medicaid waiver helps families pay for an adult family home in Burien. Who qualifies, what it covers, and how to start, in plain language.

Paying for CareBurien
15 min readBecca Pitts

The Plateau Letter: What to Do When Medicare Cuts Off Your Parent's Rehab Before You're Ready

Told that Medicare rehab is ending because your parent has plateaued? A Burien adult family home owner explains what the plateau letter really means and what your options are next.

Paying for CareBurien
15 min readBecca Pitts

The 4 PM Friday Phone Call: What to Do When the Hospital Is Discharging Your Parent and You're Not Ready

A safe hospital discharge for a parent who cannot go home alone. A Burien adult family home owner walks families through discharge planning and the adult family home option.

TransitionsBurien
16 min readBecca Pitts

How Often Should I Visit My Parent in an Adult Family Home? A Burien Family's Honest Guide to Visits, Goodbyes, and the Afternoon in Between

A Burien adult family home owner walks you through what a visit actually looks like, how long to stay, what to do when you are there, and how to leave without breaking either of your hearts. Honest, specific, and written for the family three weeks into placement.

After PlacementBurien
15 min readBecca Pitts

A Day in the Life at a Burien Adult Family Home: What Your Parent Will Actually Do All Day (And Why the Schedule Isn't the Point)

A Burien adult family home owner walks you through what your parent's day will actually look like, honestly, hour by hour. The real answer to "what will she do all day?" and why the best days in a small home are not about activities at all.

Adult Family HomesBurien
19 min readBecca Pitts

How Do I Know When It's Time? Why So Many Burien Families Wait Too Long to Move a Parent to Residential Care

A Burien adult family home owner's honest answer to the question every adult child eventually whispers at 1am: How do I know when it's time? The signs that actually matter, the pattern most families miss, and why waiting for the "obvious" moment costs more than acting earlier.

Choosing CareBurien
14 min readBecca Pitts

What to Actually Look For When You Tour an Adult Family Home in Burien (What the Checklists Don't Tell You)

A Burien adult family home owner's honest guide to what really matters on a tour. The quiet signals most checklists miss, the questions that get honest answers, and the red flags you can spot in the first ninety seconds.

Choosing CareBurien
17 min readBecca Pitts

The First Weeks After You Move Your Parent Into Care: What Nobody Warns Burien Families About (And Why the Hard Part Isn't What You Think)

The first weeks after moving a parent into care are the hardest. A Burien adult family home owner on what to expect, the guilt and second-guessing, and how families settle in.

After PlacementBurien
13 min readBecca Pitts

The Money Question Nobody Wants to Ask: How Burien Families Actually Pay for Senior Care (And Why Adult Family Homes Change the Math)

How Burien families actually pay for senior care, what Medicare really covers, and why adult family homes change the math. An honest look at the money question nobody wants to ask.

Paying for CareBurien
12 min readBecca Pitts

When Your Parent Won't Even Have the Conversation About Care: What Burien Families Need to Know

Your parent shut down the conversation about care before it even started. Why that happens, and how Burien families move forward when a parent refuses to discuss senior care.

Family ConversationsBurien
14 min readBecca Pitts

When You're the Only One: A Letter to the Sole Family Caregiver in Burien (And What to Do When Your Siblings Won't Help)

You are the one doing everything while your siblings stay distant. A Burien adult family home owner on sole-caregiver burnout, family resentment, and getting real help before you break.

Caregiver SupportBurien
15 min readBecca Pitts

The 5 O'Clock Shadow: Why Sundowning Is the Hidden Reason Dementia Families Reach Their Breaking Point

If 5pm has become the hardest hour of your day caring for a parent with dementia, you are not failing. You are running into the limit of what home care was designed to handle. A Burien memory care owner explains what sundowning actually is, why it breaks even the strongest families, and what genuinely helps.

Memory CareBurien