Caring for Aging Parents

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Caring for Aging Parents

My mother (Shirley) has Alzheimer's.  While caring for my mom, I was inspired to create a web site that would benefit other people caring for aging loved ones. The site is ShirleyBOARD.com.

If you are caring for an older person, ShirleyBOARD.com is for you. It's named after my mom. And it's free.  

ShirleyBOARD includes tools and features to help those caring for aging loved ones stay organized and communicate with one another. The site allows caregivers to keep a log of daily activities for family and friends to view, centrally store information, and network with other caregivers for support and inspiration.

Some of the tools include: Online Journal to keep a record of caregiving activities; Photo Keeper for sharing photos; The PillBox to record prescription information, including names of medicines, dose sizes, etc; Document Keeper for uploading wills, power of attorney forms and other documents that you need to keep track of; and, Be a Peer/Find a Peer for users to search for fellow caregivers to get assistance or just connect to ask questions and share tips and stories.

Enjoy.

Caring for Aging Parents. Helpful Links.

ShirleyBOARD.com
The ShirleyBoard is an online community for people caring for aging loved ones.
Home of Children of Aging Parents
A site to help caregivers cope and provide support and information. Children of Aging Parents is a nonprofit, charitable organization whose mission is to assist the nation's nearly 54 million caregivers of the elderly or chronically ill with reliable information, referrals and support, and to heighten public awareness that the health of the family caregivers is essential to ensure quality care of the nation's growing elderly population.
BenefitsCheckUp - NCOA's Online Screening Service
BenefitsCheckUp screenings help seniors with limited income find programs to help pay for prescription drugs, energy assistance, food stamps, Alzheimer's care and more.
National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, Inc.
Geriatric Care Managers (GCMs) are health and human services specialists who help families care for older relatives, while encouraging as much independence as possible. Trust me, these people are amazing. If you suddenly find yourself a caregiver and don't know what to do, hire a GCM. In just a few hours they'll help you get organized and find local resources. They can also help you put together a care plan.
SeniorCareMarketer
SeniorCareMarketer helps companies that sell products and services relating to the aging of America generate publicity, website traffic and sales leads.
Blog: The Business of Aging
A blog that discusses the business of caregiving and aging.

Caregiving Statistics

Baby boomers -- accounting for about 78 million Americans -- can start retiring with Social Security in 2008.

By 2030, 70 million Americans will be over the age of 65. This is one out of every five Americans.

7,000 Americans turn 65 years of age each year. By 2011, 10,000 people will be turning 65 each year. And 85% will at some point require some sort of in-home caregiving assistance.

Of the more than 650,000 practicing physicians, fewer than 7,000 are certified geriatricians. This equates to one for every 5,000 Americans over the age of 65.

30% of family caregivers caring for seniors are themselves aged 65 or over; another 15% are between the ages of 45 to 54.

While people over 65 are expected to increase at a 2.3% rate, the number of family members available to care for them will only increase at a 0.8% rate. - Source: The Center on an Aging Society, Georgetown University.

44.4 million caregivers (or one out of every five households ) are involved in caregiving to persons aged 18 or over. - Source: National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.

Over three-quarters (78%) of adults living in the community and in need of long-term care depend on family and friends as their only source of help; 14% receive a combination of informal and formal care (i.e., paid help); only 8% used formal care or paid help only. - Source: Thompson, L. Long-term care: Support for family caregivers.

Most people-nearly 79%-who need Long-Term Care live at home or in community settings, not in institutions. - Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

34 million adults (16% of population) provide care to adults 50+ years.

8.9 million caregivers (20% of adult caregivers) care for someone 50+ years who have dementia. -

42% of caregivers live within twenty minutes of the care recipient. One-quarter of care recipients (24%) live with the caregiver and another one-fifth (19%) live within an hour of the care recipient. The remaining 15% of caregivers live more than an hour from the care recipient.

For source information and more stats visit http://www.shirleyboard.com/state_fact.php

New Guestbook

  • veronicapitman Jul 2, 2011 @ 4:34 am | delete
    Caring for aging is very good concept. I appreciate your efforts.

    Veronica
    proargi9

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My name is Mark. I am the founder and president of an Internet marketing firm called Fisher Vista (www.Fishervista.com). I am also a caregiver for my aging... more »

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