Caring.com today launched Steps & Stages, the first-ever interactive guide, support system, and customized e-mail newsletter that delivers specific, stage-appropriate advice for those providing care for a loved one with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia.
According to Caring.com's survey of more than 1,100 caregivers, 61 percent of people caring for aging parents and other loved ones with Alzheimer's say that the actual diagnosis came one or more years after initial symptoms appeared. Furthermore, nearly half of caregivers say that, once the patient was diagnosed, they were still unsure what stage of Alzheimer's disease their loved one was in.
Caring.com's Steps & Stages helps family caregivers navigate the overwhelming Alzheimer's journey, from identifying what stage somebody is in to understanding what symptoms to expect and how to cope with them, week by week. It also offers Stage Groups, where communities of caregivers whose loved ones are at a similar stage can connect online and learn from one another.
"Caring for someone with dementia can be such a difficult and lonely experience," said Andy Cohen, cofounder and CEO of Caring.com. The research backs this up: 49 percent of caregivers say that their caregiving role for an Alzheimer's patient is their single biggest source of stress, well ahead of the economy and their own health. "We've created tools to help caregivers reduce stress and find comfort in understanding what they're experiencing," added Cohen. "Steps & Stages is about what they are experiencing today, along with guidance about what to expect next."
Caring.com's Steps & Stages is a breakthrough in how caregivers can approach the process of caring for someone with Alzheimer's. People begin by completing a brief Stage Assessment that Caring.com uses to create a Custom Care Guide. The Custom Care Guide and weekly newsletters then provide tips on how to handle different symptoms. As new Alzheimer's symptoms arise, caregivers can update their Care Guide, and the information and advice changes dynamically.
To develop the staging system, Caring.com consulted closely with the site's senior medical editors: Leslie Kernisan, M.D., MPH, a practicing geriatrician and clinical instructor at the University of California, San Francisco, geriatrics division; Ken Robbins, M.D., a geriatric psychiatrist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and other experts, including Lisa Gwyther, MSW, associate professor in psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and coauthor of The Alzheimer's Action Plan: A Family Guide.
"Caring.com's Steps & Stages provides clear actions steps tailored to your loved one's stage of Alzheimer's," notes Betsey Odell, Vice President of The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation. "The action steps guide family caregivers right now, without having to wait days or weeks to get helpful advice." The Fisher Center, ALZinfo.org, is a leading source of funding for Alzheimer's research.
Caring.com cofounder Jim Scott partnered with Caring.com's senior editor Paula Spencer to replicate the successful architecture they had earlier crafted for BabyCenter. That personalized, stage-specific approach inspired the perfect model to follow for Caring.com's audience. "We're applying many of these same principles to the adult caregiving world. We've crafted content that will help family caregivers get practical, stage-specific advice about how to take care of a family member with Alzheimer's," explained Scott. "This is the first of its kind for the senior and caregiving community, a community that grows as the U.S. population ages."
"Caring.com's Steps & Stages is geared toward my mom's stage of Alzheimer's, so I can get information specific to what I'm experiencing. The tips are very helpful, both in helping me know how to take care of my mom and in reminding me to take care of myself," added Martha Huggart, from Raymond, Mississippi, who is the caregiver for her 79-year-old mother, Ruth. "It can be hard to find information specific to my mom's situation. Caring.com provides the help and support I need to cope with what's happening now and with what's coming next."
Steps & Stages is available on Caring.com today with the Stage Assessment, Custom Care Guide, and weekly e-mail newsletter. Additional community and content features will be added over the next few months.
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