Dementia Care in Old Lyme, CT
Specialized in-home support for seniors with dementia, Alzheimer's, and memory loss.
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
You noticed it on a Tuesday morning, maybe at the kitchen table on Ferry Road or pulling into the driveway after checking in. Your father had left the stove on again, or couldn’t quite place who you were for a moment before his face softened back into recognition. Old Lyme is a quiet town, and that quiet can make it easy to tell yourself things are fine. But you know they aren’t, and now you’re trying to figure out what comes next. We’re here to help you sort that out.
Dementia care is about maintaining a person’s daily rhythm when their memory can no longer do that on its own. A caregiver arrives at a consistent time, helps with morning routines, prepares meals, prompts medication, and stays present so your parent isn’t alone with a mind that’s working against them. The structure itself is part of the care. Familiarity reduces anxiety, and a steady face at the door matters more than most people expect.
Day to day, that might include helping with bathing or dressing, going for a short walk through the neighborhood, redirecting when confusion sets in, or simply sitting together and talking. Wandering prevention is a real concern in Old Lyme, where properties can back up to marshland or quiet roads. We’re attentive to those risks and communicate them clearly with families. When a parent has been discharged from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital after a fall or a health event, we can often be in place within a day or two to bridge that transition home.
Families in Old Lyme tend to be managing care from a distance or while holding down jobs, and they need someone consistent, not a rotation of unfamiliar faces. We try hard to maintain that consistency because we know how disorienting change can be for someone with memory loss. The goal is for your parent to know, even if they can’t explain why, that the person at the door is someone they trust.
We were founded by a working nurse, and that background shapes everything about how we approach dementia specifically. It means our caregivers are briefed on behavioral cues, safe communication techniques, and what to watch for so that a change in condition doesn’t go unnoticed until it becomes a crisis.
Nurse-founded. Our agency was started by a working nurse who watched families struggle with memory loss, safety at home, a parent who was changing, and the exhausting effort of keeping any routine at all. She built this service around what those families actually needed.
Specific to dementia. We brief every caregiver on your parent’s history before their first visit. We think about behavioral patterns, communication approaches, and the moments that tend to go sideways. Our experience with dementia care means we’ve already seen most of what you’re worried about.
We stay reachable. When something changes, and with dementia something always eventually changes, you shouldn’t have to leave a message and hope for the best. You call us and we answer. That’s how we work.
Local to Old Lyme. We know New London County, the discharge process at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and the particular challenges that come with caring for someone in a rural or semi-rural town. We’re not a national franchise trying to learn your area from a zip code lookup.
How it works
**Call or email us first.** Tell us what’s going on. There’s no intake form to fill out, no sales process. We listen to your situation, ask a few questions, and help you understand what kind of support would actually make a difference.
**We match your caregiver carefully.** For dementia care, the match matters more than the schedule. We look at your parent’s personality, their history, what calms them and what doesn’t, and we find someone who fits. Availability alone isn’t enough.
**Care starts within 48 hours.** For families in Old Lyme who are in an urgent situation, often after a hospital discharge or a recent incident, we move faster. Same-day starts happen when they need to.
**We stay in touch.** You’ll hear from us, not just at the beginning. If something shifts with your parent’s condition or routine, we want to know and we want you to know we’re paying attention.
Why families choose us
Every aide is trained and supervised through an RN’s lens — not just placed and forgotten.
Personality fit matters more than skill on paper. We match for temperament, pace, and patience.
No franchise rotation. You work with the people who run this agency — direct, accessible, accountable.
Most families are matched with a caregiver within 24 to 48 hours. When something shifts at home, we move quickly.
We build a daily structure around your parent’s rhythm — meals, walks, evenings — and protect it.
You hear from us, not just the aide. Updates on appetite, sleep, mood, mobility — the things that matter.
Every caregiver clears a multi-step screening — background check, reference checks, and an in-person interview with our RN founder — before they're ever placed in a home.
Why families trust us
Private Duty Aides is nurse-founded. Every caregiver clears a multi-step screening — a background check, reference checks, and an in-person interview with our RN founder — before they are ever placed in a home. You get the same consistent caregiver, matched by a nurse, not whoever happens to be available.
Common questions
A typical day involves helping your parent through their morning routine, preparing meals, prompting medications, and keeping them engaged with activities that feel familiar and manageable. If they're having a harder day, the caregiver stays calm and redirects rather than pushing through. Afternoons might include a short walk, some conversation, or quiet time depending on what your parent responds to best. The structure of the visit itself is calming, and that consistency is something we try to protect every day.
In most cases, we can have someone in place within 48 hours of your call. If the situation is urgent, meaning your parent is being discharged and can't safely be home alone, we do our best to arrange same-day or next-morning coverage. We're familiar with the discharge process at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and know how to move quickly when the timing matters. Call us as soon as you know the discharge date so we have the best chance of getting the right match in place.
Medicare does not cover non-medical home care, which includes dementia care as we provide it. Most private health insurance policies also exclude this type of ongoing companion or personal care. Long-term care insurance is the most common coverage that helps, and we're happy to provide the documentation your insurer requires. We're a private-pay agency, so families pay directly, and we're straightforward about costs from the first conversation.
A home health aide is a medical designation, typically ordered by a doctor and covered by Medicare for a limited period after a health event. Our dementia care is non-medical, which means we assist with daily life, safety, routine, and companionship rather than clinical procedures. The two can and often do overlap. A family might have a home health aide for wound care after a hospitalization and use us for the ongoing daily support once that skilled care ends.
Yes, and for dementia care this is something we take seriously. We ask you real questions about your parent before we make any match: what they were like before the diagnosis, what frustrates them, what brings them comfort, whether they like quiet or conversation. We're not just filling a shift. If a match doesn't feel right after a few visits, we talk about it and adjust.
We let you know as early as possible and send someone who has been briefed on your parent's needs and history. We don't send a stranger with no context. For families dealing with dementia, we understand that an unfamiliar face can be unsettling, and we handle coverage transitions with that in mind. You won't be left scrambling on your own.
Learn more about this service
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Dementia Care near Old Lyme
No sales pressure. We'll tell you straight if we're not a fit.
Private Duty Aides — Old Lyme, CT
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