Terms of Use

1. What BesideKin is

BesideKin is a peer-support community where family caregivers of aging parents share experiences under a pseudonym or anonymously. It is a community information tool. It is not a medical, legal, financial, counseling or emergency service, and nothing posted here is professional advice. Members are not clinicians acting on your behalf. Always consult a qualified professional about your situation.

2. Not for emergencies

BesideKin is not monitored around the clock and cannot send help. Automated crisis detection may show resources, but it can miss things and is no substitute for calling. Neither BesideKin nor its automated systems contact emergency services, Adult Protective Services, or anyone else on your behalf. In a crisis call or text 988. In immediate danger call 911. To report suspected elder abuse or neglect, contact Adult Protective Services; contacts vary by state and location, and the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116, eldercare.acl.gov) can help you find your local office.

3. Who can join

You must be 18 or older to join or use BesideKin, and you confirm this when you sign up. BesideKin is not for anyone under 18. During the beta, joining may require an invite code. Choose a pseudonym as your username, not your real name, and keep your password private.

When you sign up you give your real first and last name. It is kept private: other members never see it, and only the BesideKin admin can see it, to identify someone for safety or abuse reasons. See the Privacy Policy.

4. Community rules

• Be kind and respectful. No harassment, hate, threats or bullying.
• No spam, advertising, fundraising or solicitation.
• Protect privacy — yours and others'. Do not post real names, addresses, contact details, or medical records or other health details that could identify you or the person you care for.
• Do not give medical, medication or legal instructions; share experiences instead.
• Do not impersonate others or try to identify anonymous members.
• Your optional bio, profile photo and post photos must follow these rules too: no sexual, violent or self-harm images, no advertising, and no health details or information that identifies you or the person you care for. The admin may remove a bio or photo. Please don't share photos that show faces, names, addresses or medical records.

5. Moderation

Posts are checked automatically. Obvious spam or harassment may be hidden pending review; posts with crisis language are never hidden for that reason and show crisis resources. Members can report content and block other members. Thread authors can remove replies from their own threads. The BesideKin admin reviews reports and may hide or remove content or suspend accounts. If your content is hidden or removed by moderation, you can appeal once from the post itself.

6. AI features

Some features use automated tools, including AI: crisis detection, spam/harassment checks, thread summaries (labelled “AI-generated”) and optional reply drafts that you edit before posting. AI output can be wrong; you are responsible for what you post.

7. Your content

You keep ownership of what you post. You give BesideKin permission to host, display and moderate it within the service. [Content licence scope, deletion of content on account closure — pending legal review.]

8. Beta

BesideKin is in an early beta. Features may change or break, and the service may be unavailable. If the app is down, a status page and the 988 number remain available.

9. Disclaimers, liability, changes

BesideKin is operated by BesideKin ([Legal entity name — to be added]). The service is provided “as is”. [Limitation of liability, governing law, dispute resolution — pending legal review.] We may update these terms; material changes will be announced in the app.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms: privacy@besidekin.app. See also the Privacy Policy (draft).