The nonprofit has for decades operated a helpline (800-356-3606) aiding families researching assisted living, long-term care insurance and other end-of-life issues. When Menio's own mother suddenly declined, the advocate woke up to the need for an online guide to every adult child's nightmare.
"My mother was never going to get dementia." Somehow, she thought she'd be immune.
"Even with all my knowledge and preparation, there I was up in the middle of the night searching for information on the Internet. I wasn't calling anybody. I didn't have my questions formulated. I had a job and a teenager and the situation seemed overwhelming."
Options counseling
With more than 25 percent of the region in the 45-to-64-year-old age group, residents from city to suburbs may soon face similar dilemmas caring for elderly parents. When to step in and force a move? When to listen and heed a loved one's wishes?
The CaregiverGPS offers assistance via surveys about the elderly person's home life, health, income, and support system.
"There are transitions in care that, when they start happening, really freak people out," notes Michelle Mathes, CARIE's director of education and research programs. "Like, 'My mother just fell, I'm beginning to think she can't live at home anymore, what do I do?' We hear that one a lot."
Once the surveys are complete, respondents receive gentle, unbiased "options counseling" - reminders about the need to get documents in order before a loved one loses mental capacity, transportation guides or advice on how to research continuing care facilities.
Mount Airy's Darlene Childs, who helped test the website before it went live, only wishes it had been operating when she began her adventures in caregiving.
