Home Care Assistance of Greater New Jersey Delivers Cost-Free Caregiver Support

By Anne Pagnoni

Being a primary caregiver for another individual is a daunting experience. In addition to making sure that the individual's personal care needs are met, the caregiver is responsible for making financial and health care decisions, managing doctors' appointments, and maintaining a safe living environment for the care recipient. The caregiver needs support, too, during this tumultuous time. Where can the caregiver turn for help? Home Care Assistance of New Jersey is excited to announce its partnership with a free, online, caregiver support program called MyCareCommunity.

Studies show that caregivers find stress-relief in three ways: access to information and tools, support from other caregivers, and the ability to share caregiving responsibilities with family and friends. MyCareCommunity allows caregivers to do just that, by providing a convenient, easy-to-use website that offers:

• Practical advice and expert information
  
• Caregiver blogs, discussion forums and sharing of real-life stories and experiences
  
• Ability to get answers from local NJ professionals on a variety of health and elderly care issues
  
• Search features for care services, care providers and community resources
  
• Access to a private webpage that is focused on the care of a loved one
  

MyCareCommunity has a true Ask the Expert feature. Experts in the field of aging from all over New Jersey have availed themselves to caregivers. Each expert is listed with a short biography which allows caregivers the opportunity to direct their questions to the expert best able to answer their questions.

One of the greatest features of MyCareCommunity is the Personal Communities, which enable users to create a webpage for their loved one and then invite other family members or friends to view it. The caregiver is able to provide updates about their loved one via the personal community, which alleviates the need for the caregiver to make numerous phone calls or send multiple emails with notifications. There is a care scheduler feature, which allows the caregiver to enter appointments into a calendar. All other personal community members are able to see the appointments and offer assistance to the caregiver accordingly.

If you're a caregiver, then take a few minutes and check out all of the features of MyCareCommunity. It's an invaluable resource that will make your caregiving responsibilities easier. By visiting www.mycarecommunityNJ.org, caregivers will find the support and information that they need to assist them in managing their caregiving journey.