Lotsa Helping Hands Applauds Alzheimer’s Caregivers During World Alzheimer’s Month

WELLESLEY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This World Alzheimer’s Month, Lotsa Helping Hands salutes our nation’s more than 15.2 million Alzheimer’s caregivers. In 2011, family and friends provided 17.4 billion hours of unpaid care to those with Alzheimer’s and other dementias – care valued at $210.5 billion – according to the Alzheimer’s Association 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts & Figures. Earlier this year, Lotsa Helping Hands and the Alzheimer’s Association together launched the Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar to support Alzheimer’s caregivers through online caring communities.

“Since we began collaborating with Alzheimer’s Association, more than 2,700 communities have been created to specifically provide respite and emotional support to Alzheimer’s caregivers.”

Building on a relationship established in 2008, the Alzheimer’s Association collaborated with Lotsa Helping Hands on the Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar, providing community members with quick and easy access to vital resources and information specific to Alzheimer’s disease. Powered by Lotsa Helping Hands, the Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar enables a family member, friend, colleague, or neighbor to create an online community to help an Alzheimer’s caregiver manage and carry out their daily responsibilities.

Becoming a caregiver for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease is often unexpected. Few are prepared for the responsibility. The Alzheimer's Association Facts & Figures report revealed startling statistics:

• Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 16 million.
• Of Americans aged 65 and over, 1 in 8 has Alzheimer’s, and nearly half of people aged 85 and older have the disease.
• Another American develops Alzheimer’s disease every 68 seconds.
• In 2012, the direct costs of caring for those with Alzheimer’s to American society will total an estimated $200 billion, including $140 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid.
• More than 60 percent of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers rate the emotional stress of caregiving as high or very high; one-third report symptoms of depression.
• Due to the physical and emotional toll of caregiving on their own health, Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers had $8.7 billion in additional health care costs in 2011.

“Caregiving is one of the most rewarding yet most challenging roles we play as family members and friends, and Lotsa Helping Hands is proud to work with the Alzheimer’s Association to provide the Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar service as a free resource to support caregivers who are juggling so much as they care for their loved ones. Caregivers need help and they need a simple way to manage the offers of help they receive,” said Hal Chapel, CEO and co-founder, Lotsa Helping Hands. “Since we began collaborating with Alzheimer’s Association, more than 2,700 communities have been created to specifically provide respite and emotional support to Alzheimer’s caregivers.”

Lotsa Helping Hands is a no-cost resource that powers offline help online through the creation of Private and Open Community websites featuring a Help Calendar, automatic reminders, message boards, a well wishes wall, a photo gallery, a vital information section, and more. Since 2005, Lotsa has powered the completion of 2.1 million tasks, all providing caregiver support. Each Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar is completely customizable based on the needs of each specific caregiver. Once approved, family, friends, and neighbors can sign-up and be responsible for specific tasks.

Caregivers and volunteers in the Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar join more than one million Lotsa Helping Hands community members across the country. To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and to create your own Alzheimer’s Care Team Calendar, visit the Alzheimer’s Association website at www.alz.org and Lotsa Helping Hands at www.lotsahelpinghands.com.

About Lotsa Helping Hands

Lotsa Helping Hands powers Private and Open online caring communities that help restore health and balance to caregivers’ lives. More than 65 million people serve as caregivers for aging loved ones and those with chronic disease or disability. The free service brings together caregivers and volunteers through online communities that organize daily life during times of medical crisis or caregiver exhaustion in neighborhoods and communities worldwide. Caregivers benefit from the gifts of much needed help, emotional support, and peace of mind, while volunteers find meaning in giving back to those in need. To date, nearly one million members have lent a hand through a Lotsa Helping Hands community and more than 50 national nonprofit organizations partner with Lotsa to support caregivers. For more information about Lotsa Helping Hands, visit www.lotsahelpinghands.com.

About Alzheimer’s Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research. Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s. Visit www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.