Caregiver Isolation: A Serious Problem That Deserves Attention

[Theresa_Robertson]

Did you know that isolation is a serious problem for family caregivers? I didn’t need a study to tell me that isolation can have negative physical and emotional consequences for caregivers. In fact, caregivers are at greater risk for developing health problems, depression, and social isolation. This is why it’s so important to find ways to connect with other caregivers. This is also why the chat feature on this platform was so important.

The caregiving chat feature was a way for me to connect with people who understood what I was going through. The chat was a warm and welcoming environment with people who really cared about each other. I could engage or just hang back and follow the conversation. Now suddenly, without warning, it is gone. I hope the decision-makers reading this post will let us know if it will ever return.

[SirMike]

Hi Theresa,
I appreciate your post and the passion you have for this topic. I agree with you 100% on the isolation piece. However, my perspective on it differs slightly from yours. While I loved the small community that the chat enabled my concern is that the chat didn’t allow us to build the “warm and welcoming” community you talk about. In fact, because the chat was limited in time and was being erased every night, it didn’t allow for us to impact that many people. In total over the last 2 years, the chat only had 100 people visit it, and only about 25 of them made two or more visits. There are over 100 million family caregivers out there struggling and feeling alone, and its our mission to create an experience that can support all of them.

While I realize the forum does not currently look like its a warm environment, its in its earliest stages. Over the next month, you’re going to see significant improvements made here that will improve the experience and create a space where you and any other caregivers can feel heard and connected to. A community, whether live or asynchronous, is only as vibrant and welcoming as it members. I hope that you’ll give it a chance… I know that other caregivers would benefit from your involvment.