By Paula Fenza
Currently, more than 44 million Americans are providing care for a loved one affected by illness, injury, or the effects of aging. The stress of caring for a loved one can be overwhelming, and many caregivers find it difficult to ask for help—even when help is offered, it can be challenging to manage. Coordinating schedules between caregivers and volunteers can be complex and time-consuming, with endless rounds of phone tag and forgotten commitments. The website, Lotsa Helping Hands, is an excellent tool for helping individuals coordinate caregiving schedules. Lotsa Helping Hands provides a free service that coordinates the caregiving tasks of friends and family who want to volunteer their support for a loved one in need.
With the assistance of the website, a caregiver can create a free, private, and secure web community and define specific tasks for which he or she needs assistance, such as rides to medical appointments, errands, babysitting, or meal delivery. Using the supplied templates, the caregiver can then begin inviting members into the community. An easy-to-use calendar allows volunteers to view and sign up for the needed tasks, review their current commitments, and be assured they won’t forget any assignments—the system automatically sends out e-mail reminders of upcoming obligations. Community members also have access to a private message board where they view status updates, photo galleries, and resource sections for sharing relevant web links and documents.
To date, more than 10,000 Lotsa Helping Hands communities have been created around the world. This free service is available through the sponsorship of numerous nonprofit organizations such as Alzheimer’s Association, Caring Connections, Family Caregiver Alliance, Geriatric Oncology Consortium, National Alliance for Caregiving, National Family Caregivers Association, and Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving.
For more information on Lotsa Helping Hands, visit their website at:http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com.
SOURCE: MatherLifeways
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