ParentDown was built by someone who's been on both sides—as a daughter in crisis, and as an HR professional who helps others navigate it.
In early November, I asked for a welfare check on my mom. She was found on the floor of her home—likely there for a day or more—and everything changed instantly.
From that moment on, it was a blur of hospital rooms, specialists with titles I couldn't pronounce, procedures I didn't understand. Some days she was alert. Some days I got late-night calls asking for consent to start another treatment. I was trying to keep up, trying to stay strong, trying to understand what was happening—while also updating family, managing work, and pretending I wasn't falling apart.
The holidays came and went in this surreal limbo. We started talking about comfort care. We tried to get her home. And on January 5th, she passed away peacefully, surrounded by the people who loved her.
"When the dust settled, I realized something crucial: adult children are thrown into medical crises with zero preparation. No guidance. No roadmap. Just chaos. And I didn't want anyone else to go through that alone."
I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what questions to ask. I didn't know what was normal or what was a red flag. I was making decisions on the fly, feeling guilty, feeling lost. And I realized: if I, with my professional expertise and resources, felt this unprepared—what about everyone else?
My professional work combines the practical side of caregiving with legal and workplace realities.
I've spent over a decade helping employees navigate leave of absence (LOA) policies, FMLA designations, state leave laws, and workplace accommodations. I've sat on both sides of the HR desk—as the person asking for help, and as the professional providing it.
I've lived through what my clients face. I know what it feels like to sit in the ICU waiting room with no idea what happens next. I know the guilt of trying to manage work while your parent is in crisis. I know the overwhelming weight of making decisions when you're not sure what's right.
There's no roadmap for what happens in the first hours and days of a parent's medical crisis. You're expected to make life-and-death decisions with zero preparation. Hospitals move fast, doctors use language you don't understand, and everyone expects you to know what to do. You don't. And that's normal.
You want to support your employees when their parents are in crisis, but you're often winging it. You know FMLA exists, but the specifics feel fuzzy. You know you should say something supportive, but you don't want to get it wrong. And you're navigating complicated legal requirements while trying to be compassionate.
Most resources focus on the medical side of crisis OR the workplace side. They're rarely integrated. And they rarely come from someone who understands both. ParentDown exists to close that gap—with clear scripts, compliant processes, and compassionate guidance that respects both the human and legal sides of what you're dealing with.
Give families the tools and clarity they need before crisis hits—and support them when it does.
Provide clear, no-nonsense guidance for the first days and weeks of a parent's medical crisis. Scripts for conversations you'll have. Checklists for decisions you'll need to make. Permission to take care of yourself while taking care of your parent.
Give HR teams and people managers the confidence to support employees in crisis. Practical scripts, compliant processes, and the legal knowledge that lets you help without stepping into legal gray areas.
Build a resource that respects the complexity of caregiving—the legal stuff, the emotional stuff, the logistical stuff—and treats everyone like they matter.
Built from real experience, not guesswork.
This isn't theoretical. Every guide, script, and template comes from real experience—mine and my clients'.
ParentDown bridges the gap between the medical/family side and the workplace/legal side. You don't have to figure out how they fit together.
You don't have to choose between being kind and being compliant. ParentDown does both.
Whether you're a daughter in crisis or an HR leader supporting employees, you belong here.
Whether you're preparing for what might come or navigating a crisis right now, ParentDown is here to help.
You don't need to figure this out alone.