Omaha, NE (Vocus) October 12, 2010

Family caregiving is the latest business opportunity to benefit from advances in social media and networking tools that help family members near and far stay connected to senior loved ones.

More companies in the market today are interfacing home care agencies, care providers, family members and others associated with the care process to keep families informed about whats going on in the lives of an elderly relative or friend. Below are a few, as identified by the National Private Duty Association (NPDA).

Playing off the social network popularity of Facebook, GenerationsUnite provides a secure web-based system that offers a communication platform connecting everyone involved in the circle of care. Those with access to the system can view care plans, the professional caregivers schedule, upload documents and review log notes provided by the care provider.

Connect 4 Healthcare is a provider-paid or family subscription-based web service that uses a secure Internet portal, e-mail and text messaging to create and maintain an open line of communication between families and care providers. Family members can select the type of information they want to receive and how they want to receive it.

Elsewhere, family caregivers are connecting with each other on Facebook where the growing demographic is women 55 and older, many of whom are caring for elderly parents. In fact, that demographic group of women 55 and older is up 175 percent since September 2008, according to Facebook statistics reported on InsideFacebook.com.

This is the same market of family caregivers that are looking for resources to help them manage the care of an aging parent, said Tim Connelly, director of Franchise Development for Home Instead, Inc., the franchisor for the Home Instead Senior Care