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Web Site Offers Seniors, Caregivers Help

Oct. 1, 2004
Riverside Press-Enterprise

Senior citizens now have a one-stop resource where they can find information about age-related diseases and care without leaving their home.

The site, www.networkofcare.org, will also be useful for companies providing services to the elderly.

Riverside County Office on Aging unveiled its new Network of Care Web site Thursday to a group of about 50 people who work with public and private programs for the elderly.

Linda Gord, of Riverside County In Home Supportive Services Public Authority, said she believes the site will help link home care providers to the eligible seniors needing assistance.

The site has contact information for resources – such as National Indian Council on Aging Dennis James United Cerebral Palsy Center and Valley Care Transport – and a library link with searchable information on medication, support groups and legal information.

It was the ability to customize folders for individual use that caught the attention of Stephen Geist, regional director of Palm Desert-based Alzheimer’s Association.

Seniors can keep their important medical information in the folder, including a list of their doctors, illnesses and medications.

With a password, family members or caregivers can access portions of the folder.

The ability for a family to work together enhances the care of their loved one, and the new site will make that job easier, Geist said.

Being a caregiver is a family job but families are not always located in the same city,” Geist said.

Information about legislation affecting seniors is updated daily.

The site includes e-mail links to lawmakers, which could give some seniors more of a voice in political decisions, said Bruce Bronzan, president of Trilogy Integrated Resources, who designed and maintains the site.

The site cost $60,000, and maintenance fees, including daily updates, are $4,000 a year, said Office on Aging Director Lu Molberg.