Presents:

Connecting Caregivers

to Digital Support:

An Introduction

Leah Eskenazi, MSW, Lois Escobar, LCSW

& Christina Irving, MSW

of Family Caregiver Alliance

for 2012 SF Aging & Disability Technology Summit

They Said it Won’t Work… (2003)

• Can’t teach an old dog new tricks

• We do just fine without it

• Our clients are too old for computers

• Let’s get back to reality

• It’s not my thing

• We do just fine without it

• Email is my only use for computers

Your Interest?

• Caregiver

Relationship?

• Technology

comfort?

• Favorite Website or

Mobile Application

Number of Caregivers

•California – 5,880,000

•San Francisco -127,952

•Of the 74% of Adults Who Use the Internet

80% Have Researched a Health Topic

(PEW Internet & American Life Project - 2006)

Of Caregivers Who Use Technology…

• 70% Search for Cg Related Info or

Support

• 47% Used Electronic Calendar or

Organizer

• 11% Participated in a Blog or Online

Forum

(n=1000 - United Healthcare & NAC 1/2011)

FCA

National Center on Caregiving

• 34 Years of Experience:

• Caregiver Assessment and Care Planning

• Information & Education

• Service & Support

• Research & Advocacy

• 100K/Mo. Unique Visitors to caregiver.org

• Caregiver online groups: – Caregiver

– LGBT Caregiver

– Link2Care (Calif. Only)

– Huntington’s disease

Additional Technology Preferred

• Personal Health Record Tracking

• Care Coordination System

• Medication Support

• (n=1000 - United Healthcare & NAC 1/2011)

Caregiver Categories

• Coordinating Care

• Managing

Appointments &

Tasks

• Medication

Management

• Personal Health

Record Tracking

• Social & Emotional

Support

• Information &

Education

• Safety

• Exercise &

Nutrition

• Entertainment &

Brain Games

7 Tips: How to Choose

Caregiver Tool

Coordinating Care

• Lotsa Helping Hands

http://caregiver.lotsahelpinghands.com/eldercare/home/

Tyze Personal Network

http://www.tyze.com/

Managing Appointments & Tasks

• Google Calendar

http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en

&answer=2465776 (About Google Calendar)

https://www.google.com/calendar (to your own calendar)

• Cozi

http://www.cozi.com/iphoneapp.htm

Medication Management

Thousands of med apps available!

• Pillbox

http://pillbox.nlm.nih.gov/

•Med Minder (Good reviews suggest it’s

worth a look-see)

http://sites.google.com/site/garlandsystems/med-minder

Health Record Tracking

• Health Vault

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/healthvault/default.aspx

• WebMD Health Manager

http://www.webmd.com/health-manager

Social & Emotional Support

• Caregiver.org Discussion Group

http://caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_node.jsp?node

id=347

• Alz.org Caregiver Forum

https://www.alzconnected.org/

• PTSD Coach

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsdcoach.asp

Information & Education

• Family Caregiver Alliance www.Caregiver.org

• Alzheimer’s Association

www.Alz.org

• Next Avenue

http://www.nextavenue.org/

• Morningstar Ministries

http://www.mmlearn.org/index.php

Safety

• Google Video Chat / Google Talk

http://www.google.com/talk/

• Skype

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/home

• Tell My Geo

http://www.tellmygeo.com/howitworks.php

Exercise & Nutrition

• My Fitness Pal

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/mobile

• Pedometer

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pedometer-

free/id362306160?mt=8

• All Recipe Dinner Spinner App

http://allrecipes.com/features/applications/dinner-

spinner/

Entertainment & Brain Games

• Scrabble

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scrabble-

free/id408492483?mt=8

• AARP Free Brain Games

http://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/brain_games/

• Free Cell

http://games.aarp.org/games/freecell.aspx

Thank You!