Executive Summary
Family Caregiver Alliance designed Link2Care to meet the needs of caregivers seeking reliable and informative online information and support. The project received funding from the California Endowment in 1999 to expand and improve access to health and social services for caregivers of dementia patients; encourage a select group of northern and central California Caregiver Resource Centers to explore new approaches to improving the health and well-being of these caregivers; and enhance the health of caregivers and others through prevention strategies. In 2001 Family Caregiver Alliance expanded Link2Care access to caregivers associated with CRC’s statewide and tackled technology adoption barriers existing in the community based care service delivery system.

Link2Care brought together three innovative programs: Family Caregiver Alliance's (FCA) successful service model, information clearinghouse and website; the University of Wisconsin's Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) module design and able research and evaluation capabilities; and the California Caregiver Resource Centers (CRC) comprehensive service delivery system, to provide a ground-breaking service for caregivers of adults with cognitive impairments. Following trends in the phenomenal increase in the numbers of adults with Internet access, the sharp decrease in the cost of technology and the acceptance of using the Internet to conduct business, Link2Care was the first program in the country to use the Internet to provide online information, services and connections to caregiving families on demand within an existing community-based long-term care service system.

Our target population is the often isolated and over-burdened caregivers of a dementia patient who find it difficult to participate in typical service delivery patterns of face-to-face services within normal business hours due to geographic barriers, full or part-time employment commitments or overwhelming caregiving demands. Link2Care helps to bridge these barriers by providing support and services in the caregiver's home via the Internet at the caregivers convenience. Participants must be 18 or older, be identified as the primary caregiver for an adult with a disease related dementia, reside in California and complete an Intake with their local CRC.

Preliminary project outcomes for caregivers to date show reduced feelings of isolation, increased coping skills and feelings of well being, and increased use of formal and informal support services. Caregivers report a high degree of confidence in the program as reported on annual client satisfaction surveys with over 85% saying they would recommend the program to other caregivers. Link2Care is administered by Family Caregiver Alliance.

Program Description
The overall goal of the Link2Care Project is to increase caregiver well being and coping skills through convenient access to information, connections to other caregivers, and services provided in the home via the Internet. Specific objectives are: 1) To decrease the caregiver's feelings of isolation through connections to other caregivers and the CRC Family Consultants; 2) To increase access to information and advice on issues related to caregiving; and 3) To increase caregiver coping and planning skills. Secondary goals are to develop, implement and evaluate an effective Internet-based service delivery system for the caregiver population that is capable of wider replication and to explore and document the impact on the clinical staff participating in the Link2Care project.

The Link2Care program complements services currently delivered by the CRCs and is meant to provide an enriched information and support environment, which is readily available and convenient to the caregiver 24 hours a day. In order to use Link2Care, family caregivers must complete the intake process (usually by telephone). A caregiver enrolls in the Link2Care program online. Using a personal user-name and password to enter the secured website, caregivers have access to an information library including fact sheets, articles and selected website links, personal consultation with technical experts in medicine, law and caregiving, a personal journal, moderated discussion group, current caregiver focused news and events, a data base of local community resources, and other specialized information services.

Once the Intake is complete clients are invited to have an in-home assessment with a Family Consultant to identify care needs and help identify ways to meet those needs offered by the CRC and the community at large. CRC services include care planning, care and behavior management, respite, legal and financial assistance, family consultations and more. For those caregivers without access to a computer or the Internet, efforts are made to secure affordable Internet access technical assistance to enable less confident computer users to fully enjoy what Link2Care has to offer. Site modifications are made based on feedback from caregiver users, staff and outside reviewers.

For more information, contact Leah Eskenazi, MSW, Link2Care Project Manager leskenazi@caregiver.org or Kathleen Kelly, Executive Director, kkelly@caregiver.org, Family Caregiver Alliance, 690 Market Street, Ste. 600, San Francisco, CA 94104; 415.434.3388 or 800.445.8106.

A combination of California State Department of Mental Health funds, Caregiver Resource Center contributions and private foundation funding sustains Link2Care statewide operations.