It can be extremely stressful to be a working individual as well as a caregiver for a loved one. Not knowing how your loved one is doing while you're away at work can become a major distraction and may cause you to leave work early and/or take more days off. It is estimated that more than half of employed caregivers work full-time, and according to a survey from Gallup-Healthways conducted in 2011, "Caregivers working at least 15 hours per week indicated that this assistance significantly affected their work life."

Having to rearrange your work schedule and decrease your hours may feel inconsequential when it comes to helping your loved one, but it can have massive impacts on your well-being and future. Employed caregivers who rearrange their schedules can suffer loss of wages, Social Security benefits and health insurance, as well as retirement savings. Gallup-Healthways also reported that in 2011, caregiver absenteeism cost the U.S. economy "an estimated $25.2 billion in lost productivity." This situation is detrimental to both sides.

Many employed caregivers feel an obligation to check in with their loved ones and be present to have the most updated information on their loved one's condition. We created the Care Card for situations just like this. If you're at work and want to receive updates about your loved one from a caregiver at home, you can receive notifications without ever leaving your office. By connecting everyone who cares for your loved one with the Care Card, they can all input updates as they interact with him/her. Our goal is always to keep everyone on the same page, and if you can know how your loved one is doing without having to leave the office, productivity is likely to increase and you won't have to worry about losing any of your benefits down the road.

-Steffi Bolton
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffi-b-1136a193/

This weekend my family gathered together in Los Angeles for the annual Walk4Alz fundraiser, and just before it began my sister pulled a little memento out of her pocket: Mom's Sunrise name tag. Without knowing her history you might guess that Molly had worked at Sunrise, but in fact she lived the last year of her life there as a memory care resident. 

The sight of her name tag reminded me of her caregivers, and the great job they did personalizing her care. Even though Mom had a very difficult time with verbal communication, they noticed right away that she loved to help out. She would often help clean up after meals, or assist other residents with activities and crafts. The caregivers spotted a fellow caregiver in Mom so they decided to make her feel like a part of the staff, and had a real Sunrise name tag made for her. She really liked it. Throughout her life Mom was an incredibly productive person and Alzheimer's stole that from her late in life. You could that when she was helping out with her name tag on she felt useful, and connected to her true self. 

We created the Care Card to help care providers understand the unique needs and preferences of their clients or residents when they first meet them, and as they evolve. There is a tab for tips on "How to calm me down" for those times when things aren't going so well. On my Mom's I would have put "Give me a task or a chore to do."  The Sunrise team got to know her as a person and kicked it up a notch. They made her a part of the team! 



Jeff Gray | Founder & CEO
​The Memory Kit

When a home care company uses the Care Card, they have the opportunity to receive more information about their client from day one. This ensures a higher quality of care that one may not find elsewhere. Having a home care company that truly knows your loved one not only puts families more at ease but also increases business due to higher rates of satisfaction and more referrals. 

Katherine Kennedy talks about the challenges faced by care professionals, and how The Memory Kit can help them better understand the needs and preferences of the people in their care. 

Katherine is the former memory care manager at the Summer House at Villa Gardens in Pasadena, California.  She holds a M.S. degree from the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and is pursuing her PhD in Social Gerontology at Miami University.