With men and women reaching age
65 now averaging a life expectancy of an additional 19.2 years, more families
will be caring for elderly loved ones who increasingly want to remain living
independently and in the safety of their own homes.
MichiganHomeCareGuide.com, created and managed by the Area Agency on
Aging 1-B (AAA 1-B), a local non-profit serving seniors and adults with
disabilities, is designed to help seniors and family caregivers in Southeast
Michigan find quality in-home care.
The Southfield-based AAA 1-B developed MichiganHomeCareGuide.com as a free,
unbiased community resource designed to guide seniors and families who are
looking for home care. Initial funding for the project was provided by the
Jewish Fund.
"There are lots of choices out there when it comes to home care,"
said Tina Abbate Marzolf, CEO of the AAA 1-B. "It can be
overwhelming. People often don't know where to start. We wanted to create something
that families, especially families who might be in crisis, could use to make
informed decisions."
Seniors and family caregivers can search the site's online listings of area
home-care providers to find a company that is right for them. Users can
narrow listings based on their specific needs and also get firsthand
insight into a company's performance by reading reviews entered by other people
who have used their services. In addition to company listings, the site offers
an extensive library of informative articles on aging and caregiving.
MichiganHomeCareGuide.com was inspired by a family caregiver whose mother had dementia. While caring for his mother, he struggled to find
quality home care and the resources and information he needed. He was
discouraged by the fact that he could go online and find reviews about
restaurants, hotels or appliances but could not find anything similar to guide
him when searching for a quality home care agency
for his vulnerable mother.
The site was developed with the input and assistance of a group of 12 seniors
and adults with disabilities who themselves receive in-home care. They wanted to share
their experiences and insights and create a site that would work for people
like them. They met one to two times a month for more than a year and helped develop
the rating and review criteria, the look and feel of the site and the content.
They also spent many hours making sure that the site would be easy to use and
intuitive for older adults and people with disabilities.
For more information, visit MichiganHomeCareGuide.com sponsored by the Area
Agency on Aging 1-B. To contact or learn more about AAA 1-B, call (800) -852-7795
or visit www.aaa1b.com.
To chronicle the progress of those with disabilities in America and the world.
