In-home dementia care in Westchase

Updated October 13, 2026

Dementia care in Westchase often begins inside a house the family has owned since the neighborhood was new, with a parent who wants to stay put.

A 1990s planned community, now aging in place

Westchase is a census-designated place in northwest Hillsborough County, about 17 miles northwest of downtown Tampa, with Oldsmar and the Pinellas County line to the west. County commissioners approved it in 1991, and building began that year. By 2020 it had about 26,000 residents, up from roughly 21,700 in 2010. The median age was about 39, and nearly 13 percent of residents were 65 or older.

The Westchase Community Association, a homeowners association, oversees 28 neighborhoods, which residents call villages. Each has its own voting representative and, in many cases, a gate. Families who bought when Westchase was new are now reaching the ages when memory problems become more common, and many adult children have moved a widowed parent into a spare bedroom here.

What changes when a Westchase parent starts forgetting

In a deed-restricted village, the early signs of dementia can look like small rule problems: a missed trash day, a car parked in the wrong place, a neighbor’s gate code forgotten. Inside the house, families usually notice repeated questions, unpaid bills, unopened mail and meals that were not eaten. A parent who golfed or walked the village greens for years may suddenly stay inside all day.

None of these signs prove dementia; other conditions, including infections and medication side effects, can cause confusion. Bring what you see to your loved one’s doctor. Our dementia stage checker can help you organize your notes beforehand, and our guide to sudden confusion and delirium explains when to call the doctor the same day.

How dementia care in Westchase fits a two-county commute

Westchase sits between Tampa and Pinellas, and many households commute east on the Veterans Expressway or west toward Oldsmar and Clearwater. That leaves long weekday stretches when a parent with early or middle-stage dementia is alone. We match one consistent companion who covers those hours and knows the routine.

1. Call (689) 333-6079, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm ET, or send a short form. We ask about routines, worries and your village’s gate or parking rules.
2. Within 48 hours you receive 3-5 video profiles of companions screened for dementia care experience.
3. You choose who meets your loved one, and visits start at a time that suits your commute.
4. After each visit you get a short note, and we review the plan with you every month.

Our rate is $35/hour for 40+ hours a week; call us about shorter schedules. There is no long-term contract.

Walks, a village green and a library on Countryway

West Park Village is the walkable heart of Westchase, with shops, restaurants and village greens laid out in the style of Tampa’s Hyde Park. A slow lap and a coffee there is a good morning outing for someone who tires easily. The Westchase Golf Course is part of the neighborhood’s identity, and for a former golfer, simply watching a few holes can spark conversation.

The Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library at 11211 Countryway Boulevard, known until 2017 as the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Public Library, offers newspapers, music, assistive technology and a Friends of the Library bookstore. For a longer walk, the paved Upper Tampa Bay Trail runs about seven miles north from near Memorial Highway along the Veterans Expressway corridor, with access at Peterson Road Park. See our activity ideas for rainy days at home.

Emergency rooms on Sheldon Road, hospitals a drive away

Westchase does not have its own hospital, but two freestanding emergency rooms are close by on Sheldon Road, both open 24 hours:

• AdventHealth Westchase ER, a hospital department of AdventHealth Carrollwood.
• HCA Florida Citrus Park Emergency, an extension of HCA Florida Trinity Hospital.

For inpatient care, BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz has served the area since 2010. The BayCare Outpatient Center on Race Track Road offers imaging, lab work and physician offices close to home. A companion can drive your loved one to routine appointments, wait with them and send you a summary. Before any ER trip, fill in our hospital information sheet so staff know how your loved one communicates.

Day programs and senior centers nearby

Hillsborough County Aging Services runs two programs within a reasonable drive:

• Town ‘N Country Senior Center, 7606 Paula Drive, (813) 873-6336. Free for Hillsborough adults 50 and older, with classes, fitness and meals for registered participants 60 and older. It is accredited by the National Institute of Senior Centers.
• Phyllis Busansky Specialized Alzheimer’s Adult Day Care Center, 4102 W. Spruce St., Tampa. The county’s adult day programs serve residents 60 and older with reduced function, on a sliding fee scale; call (813) 272-5250.

A day program and a companion work well together. The companion can handle the mornings before pickup or the hours after the program ends. Our adult day care versus in-home respite comparison explains when each makes sense.

What our companions do, and what they don’t

Companions help with conversation, walks, meals, light housekeeping, errands and medication reminders. They are not nurses, so they do not give medications, change dressings or provide hands-on clinical care. If your loved one needs that, a home health agency or hospice can provide it, and a companion can fill the hours in between. Our page on companion care versus home health care lays out the differences.

Comparing costs before you decide

Many Westchase families are weighing whether to keep a parent at home or move them to assisted living or memory care. CareScout’s 2025 survey gives these Florida medians:

Home care cost rises with hours, so a parent who needs someone around the clock may be better served elsewhere. Read in-home care versus assisted living and our Florida dementia care cost guide before you choose.

Before the first visit in Westchase

A little preparation helps the first week go smoothly for everyone:

• Gate code or guest-pass instructions for your village, and where a visitor’s car may park overnight or on the street.
• Your parent’s daily rhythm: wake-up time, naps, favorite programs and the time of day they tend to get restless.
• A medication list and the names of doctors, so the companion can give reminders and track appointments.
• Favorite places nearby, from a bench in West Park Village to the library on Countryway.
• Who receives visit notes, including siblings who live out of state.

If a parent pushes back on having “a sitter,” introduce the companion as a friend who helps around the house. Our guide on communicating with a loved one who has dementia has more ideas.

Storm season in a suburb near the bay

Westchase is inland from Old Tampa Bay, but hurricanes and summer storms still bring outages, closed roads and days when a companion cannot reach the house. Keep a week of medications and supplies on hand, write down who will check on your loved one, and consider registering with the Florida Special Needs Registry. Registering does not guarantee help, but it lets emergency managers plan. Our hurricane guide for dementia caregivers has a full checklist.

Support lines for Westchase caregivers

Senior Connection Center, Hillsborough’s Area Agency on Aging, is reached through the Elder Helpline at 1-800-963-5337. It offers TCARE caregiver support and screens for the state’s Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative, which can fund in-home, facility, emergency or extended respite of up to 30 days. If your loved one lives across the line in Oldsmar, the same helpline routes you to the Pinellas agency.

The USF Memory Disorders Clinic, (813) 974-3100, is a state-designated clinic for memory evaluations. Ask your loved one’s doctor whether they take part in Medicare’s GUIDE model, which can include a support line and up to $2,500 a year in respite for eligible patients. The Alzheimer’s Association Helpline, 800-272-3900, answers around the clock.

Our Florida dementia resources page lists more statewide help, and our Tampa page covers the wider county. We also serve New Tampa and Clearwater.

Watch a caregiver before you choose

Families watch video interviews like these and choose their companion. No one is sent to your parent's home until you have watched them and said yes.

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Watch all our caregiver interviews