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Lotsa Helping Hands: How the Internet is Changing Caregiving
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Comments (5)We all have that relative who in times of crisis has a checklist of what should be done. And although we might mock them, many are happy to know what needs to be done and how they can pitch in. In previous posts I have discussed how important it is for both family and professional caregivers to make sure they are taking care of themselves. And a new product—the Lotsa Helping Hands website—is streamlining the process for family caregivers by allowing 1 person to organize a circle of up to 100 loved ones who can look at a list of tasks and volunteer to do them.
Many baby boomers are facing the prospect of how to care for aging parents. For adult children whose parents require assistance with activities of daily living (e.g., buying groceries, preparing meals or maintaining the household) this website can be very useful in helping establish a network where everyone can volunteer for “assignments” so that—for example—groceries aren’t purchased twice in one day or so everyone doesn’t visit Granny on Sunday, leaving her alone the rest of the week.
Family members of seniors might also find this helpful in arranging for someone to stop by and “check in” on their loved one. Has the senior dressed properly for the day? Does he or she need breakfast to be made for them? Scheduling tasks through Lotsa Helping Hands, another person can pick up the dinner shift and help with bathing. This type of coordination can augment the service provided by homecare agencies, particularly if the aides are only on duty for a few hours every day.
Perhaps best of all—the service is free and the website is fairly intuitive. The process takes less time than a phone call on the volunteer side, but the administrator (e.g., you) has to be fairly on-task with what needs doing. A calendar shows whether help is needed or if all needs are met on a particular day. You can even scroll ahead and offer specific services. I think this is a brilliant concept—I mean, how many times have you wanted to help someone, but just were unsure of what to do?
Also, most families have members with more free time than others. We often don’t phone relatives for help as we figure they are probably “just too busy” and that someone else will take care of it. But giving everyone a chance to know what is needed and what they can do is not just democratic—it is downright helpful—and as caregivers isn’t that the point?
As always I look forward to your comments and would love to know more if anyone has used the service and found other glowing points or even something that could be better in regard to this fantastic new resource.
Best to you and your family,
Lara Belonogoff
Posted in: Caregiver Support, Caregiving, Elder Care, Gilbert Guide Product Reviews, Senior Care News
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Sounds like something interesting, but so clinical. I get that it streamlines things, but calendaring visits to an elder seems wrong to me.
Well, sometimes it takes a clinician to get to the heart of the matter.
if someones needs are met don’t you think they would feel better.
I write an elder care column and a blog. I’ve been building a column about some of these Web opportunities people can use to communicate. Ideally, we’d all just have lunch and work it out, but some of these are may work for families that schedule everything by computer - especially if they are scattered around the country. A dedicated site can give the planning focus. I’ll be listing “Lotsa Helping Hands” as one of the options. I am very impressed by all the information offered by The Gilbert Guide.
Great blog!!
[…] In the Gilbert Guide blog alone, we offer dozens of solutions and ideas to help family caregivers, including online resources, coping strategies and information on topics such as Alzheimer’s and dementia care, and how to effectively advocate as a caregiver. Support groups provide family caregivers with a place to discuss their feelings openly, can help monitor the effectiveness of coping strategies, and let caregivers know they are not alone. But one of the simplest solutions to avoiding caregiver burnout is this—keep your sense of humor and look for the small joys that can come your way throughout the day. […]