The Purple Nest:
A Groundbreaking Remain-at-Home Care Model for Elders with Dementia
By Lori Kunkel (Author), Brynne Hicks, LCSW (Author) Judy Schiller, MA (Author)
Paperback - Published September 10, 2024
This step-by-step book provides families with the tools and processes required
to implement The Purple Nest remain at home care model.
The Purple Nest handbook was written to help elders and their families create a care solution where an elder can age in place while being cared for by a team of live-in companions. This allows the family to maintain their separate lifestyle, while ensuring their relative is safe and well cared for.
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The book focuses on people diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s. It recognizes that due to projections that dementia will nearly double by 2050, there needs to be a viable alternative to placing an elder in a facility. This care model also produces perhaps the highest level of quality care possible for the elder, because they are the primary focus of their team of companions.​​
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The Purple Nest model draws from the FLSA 80/20 rule, also referred to as, the Companion Services Exemption (80% companionship/20% caregiving), which is administered and enforced by the US Department of Labor. This rule allows for 24-hour care at approximately one third the cost of an agency, relies on fewer companions/caregivers, and provides for more consistent care.
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Furthermore, the Purple Nest book outlines how to educate and build a team around the individual, so both the elder and their family have the support they need.
