Caring.com Honors National Family Caregiver’s Month; Announces Availability of Website for More than 34 Million Caregivers

Palo Alto, CA (November 19, 2007) – In honor of National Family Caregiver’s Month, Caring.com is proud to support the more than 34 million Americans caring for an aging or ailing parent or relative by announcing the public availability of its website.

Designed to give caregivers the insight they need to make informed decisions about parents’ care, Caring.com is a free, unprecedented support resource that brings together a unique blend of real world experience, expert information and resources, and original content, geared towards the most difficult topics researched and managed by people helping care for their parents – healthcare, financial, legal, housing, and life issues.

“Caring for an aging parent is an emotional rollercoaster. There’s an incredible need for reliable information, from experts and from others going through the same thing,” said Andy Cohen, co-founder and CEO, Caring.com. “Our 2,000 beta users feel that Caring.com is a trusted friend that can help make a difficult journey a little bit easier, by providing reliable information, resources, and a community of other caregivers in one free, easy to use resource.”

Illnesses affecting the elderly are growing dramatically as the population ages. By 2020, it is estimated more than 60 million people will be caring for an aging parent.

Baby boomers (born born between 1946 and 1964) are finding themselves among the largest group of people in the country impacted by this growth, with 41 percent currently helping to care for older family members with personal aid, financial assistance, or both. Among those that aren’t caring for an aging parent, 59 percent worry about their ability to do so.

With the staggering growth in people caring for an aging or ailing parent, boomers are now finding themselves in the position of making decisions about their parent’s care, while also making important decisions about their own future. Often, they wonder, “how do I plan for my future, while caring for my parent today?”

Caring.com is an easy to use website that has been created to help those caring for others get the information they need in order to continue living their own lives. Information and resources are easy to understand, and organized to help save time. Features include:

  • Buying Guides help people understand difficult product categories like reverse mortgages and medical alert services, and what to look for in a vendor.
  • Questions and Answers offer insights and advice on commonly asked questions by both fellow caregivers and nationally recognized experts.
  • Daily Polls highlight what’s on the minds of others caring for an aging or ailing parent.
  • Important Checklists and Original Articles offer helpful, practical information about hundreds of issues affecting a parent’s care, ranging from healthcare to assisted living.
  • Custom tools to help understand your parent’s care needs, such as a Risk of Hip Fracture Calculator, which can help determine your parent’s risk of falling and breaking a hip.

The free site is supported by national and local sponsors. Caring.com launch sponsors include ColdEEZE, Legal Zoom, Presto, ResponseLink and VoiceQuilt.