When Andy Cohen's mother fell ill with lung cancer in 2006, he spent much of the year flying between the Bay Area and Chicago, trying to help. The Internet start-up veteran turned to the web for information on how to make her comfortable during chemotherapy and how to buy a hospital bed. He found little advice online. That experience inspired him to create Caring.com, which provides advice and information to adult caregivers.
"Everyone knows how to buy cars and bicycles online, but no one knows how to buy wheelchairs," says Cohen, co-founder and chief executive of the San Mateo company. He's part of the so-called "sandwich" generation, squeezed from both ends—simultaneously raising their children and caring for elderly parents. About 44 million caregivers in the United States provide unpaid help to aging adults, according to the AARP's 2008 Foundation Annual Report.
By the fall of 2007, Caring.com raised $6 million in financing from DCM and Split Rock Partners. Investors, several employees and even Caring.com's summer interns hail from the Farm.
On the site, caregivers can find free advice from experts and peers and find local resources. To-do lists help users know what to do when Dad has first been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, or how to prepare a house for home care. Information on estate planning is available, as is help on deciding when an elderly relative should stop driving. Users can sign up for custom newsletters based on their top concerns—for example, "declining health," "managing finances"; and for whom: mom, dad, spouse, etc.—and find support among other users.
Lisa Brooks signed up for Caring.com's newsletters. The Olympia, Wash., mother of six who home schools her children seeks help for her ailing parents, who live across the state from her. "In a lot of ways, we're flying by the seat of our pants," says Brooks, who split up care responsibilities with her two sisters and her brother. "We didn't take classes on this in college."
Traffic to Caring.com grew 15 percent each month since its launch in 2007, to 300,000 unique visitors last May. Cohen aims to reach profitability sometime early next year through online advertising. The strong demand for such content may increase as demographics change and people live longer, says Greg Sterling, an independent Internet analyst. "People don't have a lot of information, and they don't know if it's good or trustworthy, or what questions they should ask," he says. "This is a potentially valuable resource."
VANESSA HUA is Class of '97, MA '97.
