Hospice in the News 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Rosemary Collins, APR, Dir. of Public Relations & Community Marketing

The Center for Hospice & Palliative Care

(716)686-8259; mobile: (716)570-2090; email: rcollins@palliativecare.org

IN HONOR OF CAREGIVERS & HOSPICE MONTH

HOSPICE  LAUNCHES
WEBSITE TO SUPPORT FAMILY CAREGIVERS

Nov. 2, 2010, Cheektowaga, NY - November is National Family Caregivers month and National Hospice & Palliative Care month. To honor family caregivers, Home Connections Palliative Care program and Hospice Buffalo announce the launch of its caregiver support website, www.KeepMomatHome.org/buffalo to help adult daughters and sons provide care for their aging parents.

"Caring for a relative with a serious illness can be one of the most stressful times in a family's journey together," says Patrick Flynn, vice president of Hospice's Community Marketing. "But it can also be one of the most intimate and meaningful experiences. We created this website to provide insight and practical information that can make the family's job much easier."

According to a 2009 survey by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons, the average caregiver is a 50-year-old woman who works outside the home and spends 19 hours per week taking care of her mother. Family members are the backbone of the health care system. Dr. Peter S. Arno, epidemiology professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, estimates that family caregivers provide $375 billion in unpaid services each year.

But caring for a seriously ill relative is not without its personal cost. Family caregivers suffer from a higher incidence of depression, isolation, and financial hardships that result from the sacrifices they make to provide the care and support that is needed.

"As a society, we are deeply indebted to the family caregiver," notes Flynn. "These people need help to do what they do. They need information and they need support services. The irony is, support programs are available, but caregivers don't know where to turn to find out about them. That's where we decided we could make a difference."

Drawing upon the 24/7 accessibility of the Internet, Home Connections Palliative Care program and Hospice Buffalo created the "Keep Mom at Home in Erie County" website with articles addressing medical concerns, emotional-spiritual issues, and important legal and financial decisions. It also includes an online directory listing both local and national services—from those that help with the costs of medicines, to insurance counseling, support groups, transportation services, and in-home health care. The website even offers a free e-newsletter with monthly articles filled with tips and resources to make family caregiving easier.

A study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project revealed that 39% of individuals on the Internet have used the web sometime in the last 2 years to help a friend or family member who was dealing with a major illness. While not everyone is on the Internet, the digital divide between the information "haves" and "have nots" is shrinking. According to Pew Foundation researchers, as of May 2010, fully 79% of American adults reported accessing the Web. Nearly 2/3 (63%) of low-income households report Internet usage, as do 67% of rural Americans. Internet usage across race/ethnicity includes 82% among Hispanics, 71% among African-Americans and 80% among Caucasians. More than four out of ten seniors (42%) log on to the Web. But it is the middle-aged—those Boomer daughters and sons—who are strong users of the Internet (78%). 

Although Home Connections and Hospice specifically designed its educational website to be helpful to family caregivers, it also expects that the site will gain popularity with local physician offices and other professionals that come in contact with families of the seriously ill. Office staff can look up services on the website and print the appropriate pages to give to their patients and clients. In addition, there are resource pages with information regarding recent research findings and links to national websites offering continuing education materials.

Family satisfaction surveys conducted by Home Connections Palliative Care program show that more than 90% of caregivers with loved ones utilizing Home Connections feel confident that they know what to do to care for their loved one.

To view the new family support website, go to www.KeepMomatHome.org/buffalo. For more information about the website, or if you have concerns about a family member who is seriously ill, email info@palliativecare.org or call (716) 686-8000.

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