Intel has launched a new social network site intended to bring together carers, nurses and patients, enabling them to share experiences and information. It is also hoped the site will help overcome the feelings of isolation many carers experience.
ConnectingForCare.co.uk is described as the first online community for family carers, community and district nurses, healthcare assistants, social care workers and others to share information and provide emotional support to one another.
Tools provided to help carers interact include forums and message boards, and the site also includes ‘My Connections’: a page where carers can create a personal profile and join a variety of networks based on their specific needs and interests. Carers can directly connect with others within their networks to share stories, tips and support.
Other tools include information centres on a range of chronic diseases and conditions where carers can search for information and connect on health-specific topics. Within these centres, users can add comments and link to the latest research and resources on caring for individuals with specific conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, COPD and heart failure.
Finally, users of the site can publicly honour carers who have touched their lives. Patients and fellow carers can use this feature to recognise someone who has made a difference to them.
The new site has been developed by Intel, in collaboration with the charity Counsel and Care, The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.
The site is intended to build a sense of community among carers through interactive forums, personal profiles and links to the latest research or treatments. The forums will allow carers to engage with one another at any time, ultimately leading to better coordination of care between the various groups.
Stephen Burke, chief executive of Counsel and Care said: “The growing number of carers in the UK need more support, guidance, information and resources to help them continue in their caring role.
He said the new site will link unpaid carers with professional carers, “giving them an opportunity to develop new coping skills, and helping them to become more effective in their role”.
“Community nurses have always considered patients, their families and informal carers to be essential partners in their work,” said Rosemary Cook, director of The Queen’s Nursing Institute said.
“Without this shared endeavour, many patients would find it much harder, and sometimes impossible, to cope.”
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers estimates that there are 6 million carers in the UK and that 13 million people can expect to become carers in the next decade.
British actress Pam Ferris, vice president of The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said. “Most caring experiences are borne out of crisis. You find yourself thrust into a whole new world which can be very demanding, draining and isolating.”
She said the Connecting for Care website offers a place for the exchange of experiences, expertise and knowledge.
Link