Caring.com eldercare site emerges

Another tool has emerged for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers faced with caring for an aging parent or grandparent.

Caring.com, which debuted Monday, offers how-to information on caring for elderly family members, whether they live in their own home, with a family member, or in a facility. The topics include providing in-person and long-distance support, financial and legal advice, and end-of-life issues.

Caring.com features a community area for people to share care-giving tips, as well as a section where questions can be posed to various experts, such as a communication supervisor with the American Medical Response ambulance company.

Tools on the site include a risk calculator to determine the chances an elderly family member will fall and tips on how to prevent falls, said Andy Cohen, co-founder and chief executive, who started the company in January.

"There are a lot of sites that address specific diseases, but no other site is as comprehensive," said Cohen, whose mother died of lung cancer last fall.

Cohen is a former Intuit executive who launched Caring.com with Steve Fram, a former BabyCenter vice president of engineering, and Jim Scott, BabyCenter's former global editor-in-chief. Both Fram, Caring.com's chief information officer, and Scott, the site's editor-in-chief, are dealing with elderly parents who are suffering from health issues.

An estimated 34 million Americans are caring for elderly parents. The National Alliance for Caregiving and the MetLife Mature Market Institute found that 15 percent of caregivers live an hour or more away from the elderly family members, making it harder to track whether they are taking their medication or to keep a watchful eye on them.

Although a number of groups and companies are betting on the future of eldercare technology, the interest of caregivers in receiving information and tips is not lost on venture capitalists.

Caring.com has raised a total of $7 million in funding from Doll Capital Management and Split Rock Partners. A large portion of the funding is earmarked for providing unique content, which is designed to serve as a barrier to entry for competitors, Cohen said.

[kidxfour]

I have been caring for my father in law (dementia) for over a year now. My husband and I have four children between the ages of 11 and 19 who all live at home. I am looking for a others who are in the same situation and can share ideas on how to best deal with this without putting the entire family at risk (emotionally). It is much more difficult than I anticipated, as I'm sure alot of people feel the same way. If anyone has any ideas I would be happy to hear them.

[sashazh]

I just wanted to share this site I found, www.thecaringspace.com <br />It is a site that gives free exposure of your professional, online profile and resume. There?s also easy to use tools to help caregivers find and evaluate caregiving positions in their area. You will have access to the entire network of available positions. Check out the site or email [e-mail] for more information.

[bryan4cnet]

Sashazh,<br /><br />Thank you for sharing this website, excellent and informative. There are so many issues that we don't<br />think of when confronted with taking care of our elderly parents.

[Tuesdaywilson05]

Thanks so much for sharing this site, it definitely has a lot of great tips! Check out this blog for some more really useful resources for caregivers &#38; families caring for an aging senior.<br /><br />www.homecareinphoenix.com<br /><br />Best,<br />Tuesday Wilson<br />www.carebuzz.com