The In-Between Foundation for a Better Future
About The In-Between Foundation
Our Vision...
The In-Between Foundation envisions a community where every caregiver of a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s has access to compassionate respite, meaningful support, and the resources needed to sustain their well‑being. We strive for a future in which no caregiver faces this journey alone, and every older adult receives dignified, person‑centered care that honors their humanity.
Our vision is a world where caregivers can maintain their identity, strength, and emotional balance—empowered to continue providing loving care with confidence, clarity, and a peaceful heart.
Our story…
The In-Between foundation was created by Jim and Ken Beebe who are the sons of Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Beebe, who suffered from Dementia for 7 years. As Ronnie’s dementia progressed, and she could no longer live independently, Jim came back to Michigan to help Ken with the care of their mom. Ronnies social security disbursement was just over the threshold for medicare assistance for care programs, combined with the fact that medicare doesn’t help with dementia related issues as cause. With not qualifying for any additional medicare benefits or care programs, not having a large retirement fund to draw from to help pay for assisted living or lodging in a memory care facility, combined with both Jim and Kens incomes being spoken for with existing responsibilities, there was no extra money to pay for outside the home care. Jim and Ken ultimately took on the responsibility of caring for their mom and moved her out of independent living.
With the progression of the disease, daily activities and responsibilities, let alone conversations became more difficult as Ronnie also suffered from hearing loss. Shortly thereafter, the boys learned about ‘Sun-Downers’ the bewitching hour for those affected by dementia and the evening hours became even more difficult and stressful.
Jim and Ken split the care of their mom, each a week at a time to make sure each one got a bit of a rest from the 24/7 responsibility of care. Even with the weekly care schedule, as the disease progressed, so did the challenges and difficulties.
Ken researched the web looking for options for care and as there are options out there, this family couldn’t afford them. Ronnie forgot Ken was married, forgot the kids running around her were her grandkids, forgot Jim…
The brothers found the ‘elderly babysitters club’ made up of nurses and health care professionals that will come sit with your loved one for a few hours to most of the day for $20-40 an hour, so that caretakers can take a quick break with the responsibility off their shoulders for seemingly a minute or two. This worked on a few occasions but didn’t allow for much in terms of helping recenter either brother.
As the disease continued to progress, the challenges became harder daily. From repeating the same answer to the same question for hours on end, to dealing with personal hygiene accidents, and now a never ceasing need for Ronnie to be within 6’ of either son at anytime. Even though one affected by dementia may not sleep for days, the rest of us still need to sleep to function. With new behaviors becoming normals, the care schedule needed to adapt as well... if either brother had 2 bad or sleepless days in a row, they would swap care responsibilities.
Jim and Ken struggled to maintain normal personal and family lives, however, with Ronnie requiring more and more care and the disease progressing, it became even harder. Ronnie walked off once in the middle of the night on Ken and was brought home by Police Officers, just like a teenager who snuck out and got caught. Just a little while later, while with Jim at his shop late in the evening, Ronnie walked off, tripped on a recently cut tree stump and seriously injured her leg- requiring a trip to the hospital for medical attention.
Constant monitoring became the norm no matter what the scenario, location or time… monitors in her room, alarms on doors and more. In the summer, she would be up all night, talking to her hallucinated friends and relatives or scratching on the wall, looking for the door. Calling relatives on the phone telling them she was being held captive… or expressing herself like she was 20 years old.
With the continued progression of the Dementia and the increasing demands it put on the brothers, they began to lose sight of who they were, who their mom was before the dementia took over and unknowingly entered the ‘burnout stage’ found in caretaking. Caretaking became an unrelenting, unforgiving, unappreciated, resented job. The emotional connection to their mom was consumed by frustration, stress and sleepless nights. only made worse by watching their loved one forget them as the days continued. She was never without one of them for the better part of the last 3 years, yet they were someone new to her more often than not.
In September of 2025, Ronnie was accepted into the Hospice Health system. With the addition of Hospice, came weekly check ups/check-ins with Ronnie. Hospice assistance was a great addition however it came with its limitations as well. They could help with a few hour break here or there if scheduled far enough in advance… while appreciated, the brothers had been well adapted to the responsibilities and continued to manage the care between them as the ‘4-hour window’ never seemed to work in eithers favor.
In the later fall, it was at this point when the majority of the arguing stopped, the constant questions began to diminish… another decline was apparent. She forgot how to and help get herself dressed, which shoe went on which foot. Both sons knew the burnout was getting to them and they talked about their frustrations and worked to change how they reacted to new challenges.
From making the trip to the family’s annual Christmas outing and walking around the shop engaging clients and friends of Jim in December, to not being able to stand on her own- took only 30 days or so as the end stages of the disease consumed her. Walking became a task, the danger of falling increasing, her mind spending all its time somewhere else...
At the end of January, when out to dinner one night, she started trying to eat the dinner napkin after putting away a few slices of pizza- her favorite meal… a few days later, she couldn’t use silverware anymore… shortly after that, when trying to feed her, she would close her mouth and refuse food… there would be a brief window where she would be aware and would eat if you had food readily available at that moment. If they missed it, not sure when she would eat next, the feelings of guilt for missing the window added on top of the sadness and pain of watching her deteriorate in front of their eyes.
Seeing the increasing burnout in the brothers, Hospice nurses were finally able to get Ronnie into a local respite home for a 5 day stay. Ken was on a needed family vacation out of state, and it was nearing change over as well. Ronnie began her respite stay on Saturday morning. Ken was returning from vacation on Monday. Jim visited her on Sunday and again two times on Monday, neither time did she open her eyes. Jim said goodbye as he was taking a much-needed break and flying out to AZ the next morning for a few days.
As Ronnie had been declining for some time and this decline had been closely monitored by Hospice nurses, the nurses were also working on getting Ronnie into a locally run end of life facility-Compassion Home- which receives patients entering into the final stages of life. Even though she wasn’t eating and had slept 95% of the time at the respite facility, on the morning of her evaluation on the following Wednesday for the Compassion Home, Ronnie was awake, aware and engaging with the staff and home director. The respite home and director decided to re-evaulate in 5 days. On Monday Ronnie was re-evaulated and they accepted her into the Compassion Home. She was transported the next day [Tuesday]. On Wednesday morning, the hospice nurse reached out to Ken and shared the sad news that they felt Ronnie was ‘actively dying.’ Ken reached out to Jim in Arizona who immediately booked the next flight back to Michigan that evening.
Ken and his family spent the day at Ronnies bedside. Once back in Michigan, Jim and Ken made the Compassion Home. As it happens, once both boys were in the room, Ronnie opened her eyes to see her boys and seemingly fought as long as she could to keep them open. She closed her eyes after some time and unfortunately, the boys never saw them open again… Jim and Ken spent the next 48 hours or so at her bedside.
Late Friday evening, Jim sent Ken home to be with his family and get some sleep. Within 15 minutes of Ken arriving safely at home, with Jim by her side, holding her hands, Ronnie took her last breath and passed on, ending her journey her on this earth.
Dementia not only affects the person suffering directly from it but seriously impacts those who love and care for them as well. The brothers believe that having a real break in care for their mom would have helped them remember who they were, who their mom was and thrown the switch much sooner from burned out daily frustrating responsibility to more compassionate care.
