Search Free Metro D.C. Directory on Distance Caregiver Website to Find Help for Mom

Washington D.C. (PRWEB) May 12, 2007 -- Caring from a Distance (CFAD) -- a non-profit organization created and run by caregivers who've faced the stress of long distance care and struggled to identify useful local resources -- announces its website www.cfad.org, a free online guide to elder care. For families in its pilot region, the Washington, D.C. area, the site provides the most in-depth, web-based elder care resource guide available using the latest tools of information technology. The data come from our community partners, the Jewish Council for Aging Senior Helpline and the Guide to Retirement Living.

CFAD was established in 2002 to respond to the growing national problem of caregivers who must provide care but are unfamiliar with the expanding range of public, private and non-profit programs to meet the needs of the elderly. CFAD aims to connect caregivers to the right solutions for their family. It helps them identify challenges, understand the language of elder care, and find home care or other local resources that fit their situation. The site provides important cost-saving tips and toolkits to make difficult decisions easier. Distance caregivers can also help each other by sharing ideas based on their own experiences.

There are almost 7 million U.S. distance caregivers. Many spend much time and money arranging local care, traveling to visit frail family members, and paying out-of-pocket costs for care services. At least 600,000 are the only caregivers for disabled or elderly friends or relatives. Distance care is a special challenge for members of the Armed Forces and civilians working overseas. While family caregiving is the backbone of our long term care system, surveys report families seldom seek help beyond immediate support circles. Almost a third don't know where to find assistance at all. Their frustration grows when they discover that information on resources, both print and online, is scattered, superficial, and uneven.

CFAD's website features a searchable Metro Washington D.C. senior services directory with in-depth program information organized under 25 categories such as housing, home care, transportation, or legal/financial. Within these categories are non-profit and for-profit assisted living facilities, adult day care centers, medical transportation programs, geriatric care managers and Area Agency on Aging services.

Site visitors can store vital personal on-line data on our free secure platform (Our Family Records), a step that can save precious time during a health emergency. For families that need more personal assistance in the Metro D.C. area, CFAD offers valuable additional services. Family members can speak with a trained information specialist at the Senior Helpline (301-881-0574) for a free initial consultation, or, arrange for a family conference through our multi-party phone conferencing service.

CFAD's content is independent and objective. It accepts no funding or advertising from individual elder care providers. It is a charitable organization supported by foundation grants and on-line donations via the internet philanthropy organization Network for Good. http://partners.guidestar.org/controller/searchResults.gs?action_donateReport=1&partner=networkforgood&ein=46-0504305

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