“There are only four kinds of people in this world...
Those who have been caregivers
Those who currently are caregivers
Those who will be caregivers
Those who will need caregivers”
-- Rosalynn Carter, 1997
The “typical” caregiver in the U.S. is a 46-year-old female who works outside of home and spends more than 20 hours per week providing unpaid care.There are 34 million people caring for parents today and that is supposed to double in the next 20 years. (Valuing the Invaluable: A New Look at the Economic Value of Family Caregiving).
I’m sure anyone between the ages of 40 and 60 reading this blog is probably navigating a parental caregiving challenge… and is perplexed as to how to find solutions for everything from long-distance management, figuring out if Mom’s taken her meds, wondering if Dad’s memory lapse is the first sign of dementia, and if so what kind of dementia, or how to find a caring assisted living situation that doesn’t freak everyone out…or break the bank.
Realizing a tremendous unmet need in the marketplace, web entrepreneur Andy Cohen and several colleagues from BabyCenter.com launched Caring.com, an online community and resource. While caring for his mom during her losing battle with lung cancer, Andy realized there wasn't a really good comprehensive website that helped people figure out how to handle in-home care, choose products to help with daily living, and make the right financial and legal decisions.
“We looked at the demographics and realized there are going to be a lot of people that need help with care giving of aging parents because the population is aging at an historically unprecedented rate and people are living longer.”
Always on the lookout for examples of successful web 2.0 sites for Boomers, I asked Andy what he’s learned in this last year about what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to engaging Boomers in an online conversation.
Quality content: “We have a burgeoning social network platform with people posting and asking for information from our experts, but we also have a very robust quality content platform. This demographic is interested in trusted experts and credible information. We’ve invested heavily in offering relevant content first and foremost, and wrapping the social network around it versus other purely social networks. For Boomers, high quality content is key. This rich, quality experience also is what attracts our sponsors, partnerships and advertisers.”
Concierge tools: “We find people don’t know how to get started in all this care giving. So, we started an interactive to-do list concept that has been very successful. People tell us what their situation or particular caregiving challenge is and we’ll deliver up a customized to do list and resources for the 10 things they’ve got to do to get started. We’ve gotten great feedback on this functionality…whether it’s planning a funeral or understanding a diagnoses of cancer, there are so many very basic things people need to know and there is no other way for people to find out.”
Clear community mission: “I see a bunch of Boomers sites that don’t make sense to me because they aren’t clear about what problems they are trying to solve. We’re getting good traction because we’re helping people navigate a very difficult problem. I think Boomers with their kids and their jobs aren’t looking to hang out and chat. They didn’t grow up doing that. But if you are helping them with a problem, like how to invest or how to take care of their parents and themselves, they are going to go to those websites.”
I agree with Andy. Posting specific, relevant content is key. As boomers become more engaged, they will naturally be drawn to a social community online that caters to a specific interest. Focusing on a niche is key. Great article.
Posted by: Aaron | November 30, 2008 at 07:20 AM
I had never considered doing my homework about the eventual caregiving of my aging parents. Now, I read everything that I can find. Moreover as a primary caregiver to my aunt until she died of cancer, I know that people need a social network to help them cope with the caregiving experience.
Posted by: Linda | November 30, 2008 at 08:16 PM
I applaud the efforts of everyone addressing the critical topic of caregiving. I also. look forward to learning, listening and leveraging all the information as it relates to me personally and others. Thanks again
Posted by: rosie | December 06, 2008 at 08:37 PM