Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Bailey.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2000 my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was 69 years old, and I was 34 years old. It was shocking to say the least. We bumped along as a family and got lucky along the way with her care needs. She passed away 3 short years later (we always expected more time).
My heart really resonated with the families that were struggling to care for their loved ones with dementia. I started the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in Katy in 2004 with a group of friends that had family members with Alzheimer’s. Our group ran the walk for the Alzheimer’s Association for 5 years. It’s still a great walk that raises money, awareness and provides families with a way to process their grief. I am very proud of this.
During the 2nd year of the walk, a small 16-bed memory care (new of its kind back then) was being built in Katy. I met the owners and fell in love with their mission. Their philosophy was resident first, everything else later. I subsequently went to work for them as a marketing director (a position I had never had). They took a chance on me and my passion to help people with dementia and their families.
Several years later, I moved into an operations role as an Executive Director, running memory care communities. I helped construct 2 of them from the ground up and learned about the rules & regulations of senior living facilities. Later I took on a community education role in hospice to help patients and their families at end of life.
A while back (about a year and half ago), while visiting with friends I had helped place their mom in a memory care community, they suggested that I should do senior advising and placement on my own. After much consideration, I walked away from a corporate job to start my own company, Help For My Parents, and assist families searching for long-term care such as senior independent living, assisted living & memory care. The best part is I get to do this FREE for the family and their loved one and be their advocate.
This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. My husband, who has been in pharmaceuticals for 25 years, has joined me full-time as well.
Our mission has been and always will be to keep the family and their loved one first and everything else second.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I like to say that the life of an entrepreneur is you are either jumping up and down with excitement or in the fetal position in the corner…lol…
Like many people that experience a loved one with dementia, you question the “why.” I know I did! My “why” and a strong desire to help people make their road a little easier, is my purpose.
It’s been 20 years since my mom passed away, but she is with me all the time, I just feel it.
We have a philosophy of “do good, and good will follow.” When a family contacts us, and we aren’t the right solution, meaning they aren’t necessarily looking for long-term care, we always provide them with resources to help them. When I first entered this industry, I found out quickly that the company I worked for wasn’t always going to be the right fit. Sometimes care, cost, & location just weren’t right for the family. I made it my mission to find those resources the best I could. I still have strong relationships in the industry, that I connect families to every day.
Families are always so great to work with, especially when you can help them find the right solution for their loved one needing care. It’s not always clear cut and NEVER cookie cutter solutions. I work very hard to understand all the needs and wants and match them up with several choices to make their decision-making process easier. Sometimes, we have to look really hard for the right solution, but I am always thrilled when I can lighten the burden for a family.
As you know, we’re big fans of Help For My Parents. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I started my company to help families find long-term care solutions utilizing my extensive knowledge of running assisted living and memory care communities. My services are completely FREE to the families/client, the contracted community that they choose will pay my fee. It allows me to advocate for them and help guide their search based on the needs of the senior needing care.
What makes me very different from other placement services is the combination of the fact that I have had a loved one that needed this type of care, AND I have been the director of these communities and can offer an insight that most cannot. My in-depth knowledge of senior living facilities is the advantage I provide my clients and their families. We always keep the family and their loved one first and everything else second. And providing this high level of service for free is so needed by people searching for assisted living, memory care, and independent living solutions.
I started Help For My Parents in Katy but serve the whole Houston market. I have recently expanded to the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin markets. And recently, I have signed my first few contracts in the Florida area.
Additionally, we have a therapy dog that we take to visit senior living facilities. His name is Rock, and he is quite popular (almost has a cult following…lol).
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I was in hospice at the time of the Covid19 Crisis and saw first-hand how difficult it was for families to visit their loved ones in senior living facilities. My visits to communities always comes around to how they handled that and what they would do differently if faced with a similar situation. I think the industry as a whole learned a lot from Covid 19.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.helpformyparents.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpformyparents/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelpForMyParents/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/help-for-my-parents-llc/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/rock_the_retriever/
