SeniorPeer Answers
Clear answers for the hardest questions about caring for someone you love.
When a parent starts to need more than you can give alone, the questions come fast and the advice is everywhere and nowhere. These are honest, carefully researched answers to the questions families actually ask, written by people who have walked this road.
A USC-led study released in June 2026 put the figure at $818 billion, including $237 billion in unpaid care given by families, roughly 6.8 billion hours from about 5.2 million people. If you are one of them, these answers are for you. USC Schaeffer / U.S. Cost of Dementia Project, 2026.
Start with the question on your mind
Every answer is written to be read at the kitchen table during a hard week.
Home care vs. assisted living vs. memory care: which one does my parent need?
The big comparison, in plain language, so you can tell which level of care your parent actually needs. Read the answer ›
How do I know if an assisted living or memory care facility is trustworthy?
How to check a facility's record, read the warning signs, and know whether you can trust it. Read the answer ›
How do I know when it is time to move my parent to memory care?
The honest signs that dementia has outgrown home or assisted living, and how to move with less guilt. Read the answer ›
How much does dementia care cost, and how do families pay for it?
What care really costs in 2026, why Medicare won't cover it, and how families actually pay. Read the answer ›
What do I do when my parent refuses help or refuses to move?
What to do when a parent you love refuses the help they clearly need. Read the answer ›
Should I care for my parent at home or move them to a facility?
Caring at home or choosing a community, weighed honestly, without the guilt clouding the decision. Read the answer ›
Is my aging parent still safe to live alone?
The concrete warning signs to look for on your next visit, and what to do once you see them. Read the answer ›
What questions should I ask when touring an assisted living or memory care facility?
The questions that reveal what a community is really like, and how to read the answers. Read the answer ›
What support and resources exist for family caregivers?
Real help for the person holding it all together: respite, support, benefits, and permission to use them. Read the answer ›
Why SeniorPeer Exists
Caring for an aging parent is one of the most important things many of us will ever do, and one of the loneliest. The information families need is scattered across brochures written to sell and forums full of contradictions, and almost none of it speaks plainly to the person making impossible decisions at midnight. SeniorPeer exists to change that. We share what we have learned, caregiver to caregiver, so that the families who come after us start a few steps ahead of where we did.
Everything here is general educational information offered in good faith. It is not a substitute for medical, legal, or financial advice from a professional who knows your family. Join us on this journey toward safer, more dignified care for the people we love.