We’re proud to introduce our newest capability, Wellthy Community, a peer support network for Wellthy members allowing caregivers to connect online with others with shared caregiving journeys.
So many providing care to loved ones experience isolation, feeling that the challenges they’re facing are unique to them. That has severe consequences for an individual’s long-term physical and mental health. Up to 70 percent of caregivers experience clinical symptoms of depression, and those experiencing loneliness are at an increased risk for stroke, heart disease, and dementia.
Loneliness also affects people in their day jobs. Isolated employees are more likely to suffer from presenteeism, in which they go through the motions at work but are unable to be fully productive, ultimately increasing the likelihood that they drop out of the workforce altogether. It’s an issue that employers should be paying attention to, especially at a time when companies in many industries are finding it difficult to hire and retain talent.
The fact is, although caregiving can feel isolating, there’s almost always someone going through something similar. The idea behind Community is to connect those people so that no one has to tackle care alone. With a high volume of interactions and lots of topic-specific spaces, members will be able to connect with exactly who they’re looking for, whether that be a forum on caregiving for children with special needs or veteran support.
What sets Community apart from other peer support tools for caregivers is continuous expert moderation from Wellthy’s care professionals. These moderators monitor the forums to guide conversations, offer ideas, provide answers, and direct users to helpful Wellthy resources, like e-guides, webinars, and virtual events. By hosting moderating conversations, Community ensures all members can receive accurate and comprehensive resources, creating a place where caregivers can not only get advice and support from their peers, but vetted answers and resources from Wellthy’s expert team at any time, day or night.
Caregiving is universally difficult, with a variety of challenges that continually pop up across the entire journey. With so many of us currently caregiving or with prior caregiving experience, there’s a wealth of knowledge to be tapped into. Community aims to help do that, with expert moderation to help people feel supported and get real answers to their caregiving questions.
You can read our full press release here.