Bo Westmoreland
Aug 2026
June 1,2026 is the day everything changed for my family. Our family had noticed for a few years that our beloved mom,the true leader of our family,and a community leader and servant in Kingsport, was beginning to show signs of memory loss. we started noticing probably around 2022 but by 24 it had accelerated enough that we started making some plans. I think like a lot of people, we were all in denial because we just did not want to believe it. It was a slow progression over those times But the first week of June it accelerated due to a traumatic injury at her house. At that point, my brother and I realized just how bad it was as we stayed over there that week. We both own businesses in Johnson City that require tremendous amounts of our time to run, so we broke into 12 hour shifts and split it up. We contacted several people and organizations during this first week of June. While all were very nice and Understanding, the people at American House were just exceptional. It’s hard to explain. There was just something different. My brother and I met with a couple of the directors , And I suppose the only way to put it as we just felt like we had known them for a long time. They genuinely seem to care about our mother, even though they had never met her. When we left the initial consultation , Neither of us spoke to the other as we walked out of the building down the walkway to our vehicles. When we got to our trucks,my brother said something to the effect of “I hate to get my hopes up, but that place is amazing.” I said yes , it is . They sent a caseworker out ( Michelle) and she spent an hour and a half working with our mom to diagnose her exactly, and with extreme compassion. Once everything was confirmed, Tammy and the others made the onboarding process extremely simple and very organized ,and they were very kind to us while we were going through such A difficult time. I suppose they could see the pain on my face as I signed the mountains of paperwork that is needed for such a situation. It is very difficult to turn your mother over to other people. I never envisioned that day because she is so intelligent and such a high achiever in career and in life in general. For context, I lost almost 20 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks, that’s how stressed I was, and I think the amazing people at American House could pick up on that very easily; they were so incredibly sympathetic and encouraging and promised they would take care of her. The facility is beautiful and very “Home-like”, every single person that I have encountered there has been very friendly and extremely caring. It may sound cliché, but they are truly a different breed of people there. My brother and I have slowly reached a level of acceptance and the slight peace that comes with that as the summer has progressed because we know she is extremely well cared for. Her overall health actually improved quite a lot! Dementia is undoubtedly one of the most cruel things I’ve ever lived through, and it is obviously going to continue for a while, but my brother and I know that Mom is extremely well cared for at American House. Her room is immaculate. The food is actually extremely good. Etc .. But I can’t stress this enough: The people that work there have made that their life mission, and it shows. We honestly don’t know where we would be without them. A heartfelt thank you to every single person there.<br>With most respect and gratitude,<br>Bo and Jason Westmoreland<br>Johnson City TN
