Our Story
It’s the tool we wished existed.
So, we built it ourselves.
We moved to Florida to support our loved one, who was still able to live independently. Even at age 80, she had 80x the energy we did–she wanted to be out on the town, seeing people, walking, shopping, dancing, all day, every day. Her day club was fantastic, but what do we do after 3pm pickup, on the days she doesn’t attend, on weekends, and holidays? Not to mention the cost–day club adds up real quick if you’re paying out of pocket! Why couldn’t we meet up with other caregivers and their loved ones for simple outings like a stroll in a park or for some ice cream? Or organize more official events like game days or a summer concert?
Add onto the social demands the administrational tasks–I had a messy spreadsheet of potential memory care facilities in MN, but who takes the elderly waiver? Did they have an in-house activity director? Room to roam? This was just the living community, nevermind the searches for support groups, doctors, home healthcare aids, transportation, hospice, and all the other services we caregivers may need to coordinate. How do we know if they are any good??? Anyone can leave a Google review, that’s not necessarily a reliable source!
This story is not unique at all. It might be your story, too.
We’re (finally) back in the Twin Cities, and although there are many more resources than we found in Florida, they are a bit scattered. Not interactive. Not self-service. We only have two seconds to ourselves a day, so we certainly don’t have time to make a bunch of calls that lead to dead ends.
It’s the digital age, and our needs are not yet translated to a digital platform. We don’t want to recreate the wheel, but we need a way to find Twin Cities-based connections and resources at our fingertips. How many of us caregivers are there, each trying to figure it out on our own, or through the help of generic message boards, nationwide facebook groups, or impersonal, corporate, national referral agencies? We have local needs and need local answers!
So, here it is:
Careist is a community for you and your loved one. Offering a social platform, aggregate calendar, and self-serve directory, it’s your pathway towards a lighter and brighter caregiving journey.
We hope you’ll join us.
-Mallory & Jess, with our loved one Mimi (and pup, Mavis)