Local Website a Boon for Home-Based Parent Care

Bob Silver, 54, a resident of Montclair since 1988, was struggling to juggle his career, family and caring for his elderly parents in North Carolina, when it struck him that there was no one-stop online haven for parental care that could ease the load on his much-squeezed time. This came to a head when Silver, who until 2005 had been president and COO of UBS Financial Services, was overwhelmed in his father's latter years with trying to manage the medical information and advice of seven doctors.

That galvanized him, along with friends David Zoll and Lynne Altman, who had also come to the same conclusion, to set up Parentgiving.com, an online information and shopping resource for people caring for their aging or ailing parents.

Zoll, a family man and high-flyer in the financial services industry who was taking care of his elderly mother, was frustrated in his attempts to find an all-encompassing website that provided resources, advice and services to meet her needs. Zoll eventually got a grip of his juggling act by hiring a professional care manager to navigate all the aspects of care for his mother.

Silver, after struggling to look after his parents in North Carolina, says:

I hired a care manager, too, and I really believe she helped prolong my dad's life. At 92, while he was dressing himself, he dropped his watch and, while trying to retrieve it, fell and broke his hip. After surgery and two days in hospital, my dad had to be released (from hospital). But our care manager convinced the hospital that he couldn't go home without rehabilitation, which they agreed to, and he stayed another 10 days at the hospital rehab center. If he had come home two days after that surgery, he would have lasted only another week or two, but instead, he lived another four months. And they were good months.

We basically realized there was this big need for a comprehensive resource for baby boomers sandwiched between aging parents, career and family.

The website the trio came up with, ParentGiving.com, is headquartered on South Fullerton Ave, and is a wealth of articles, checklists and resources for family caregivers, with direct-dial access to professionals and an online shop. It recently added a store-partner program and new content by Gilbert Guide, a comprehensive online database and directory for senior care services.

Silver says Parentgiving.com has been gaining traction since its launch in May, and recently announced a Parentgivers of the Year Award for 2010, when it will honor six caregivers, nominated by readers, who selflessly tend to an aging adult as well as their own families.

Are you caring for an elderly or ailing parent or have you sought in-home assistance with this? Let us know how you manage in comments. Or nominate someone now for Parentgiving.com's award.