One in five adults in Minnesota are caregivers, providing continual care to loved ones who need ongoing assistance with everyday tasks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
With so many Minnesotans helping others, Blue Cross aims to further support those caregivers by offering new tools and resources. Our caregiver website, caregivercornermn.com, relaunched in August and has new features that make it easier to get the information you need to help you care for your loved one and yourself.
“We know caregivers all have different situations,” says Jeanne Parsons, strategic communications leader at Blue Cross, who has overseen the website updates. “They all have different things that cause stress. And so we’re trying to set up solutions and support that are flexible for what the caregiver needs.”
Caregivers can now create an account to save their information in the site and can look forward to improved functionality when searching for community resources through mnhelp.info. On the site, they can also share stories and answer instant poll questions, allowing them to connect with real advice from other experienced caregivers.
Another new feature includes an online stress assessment for caregivers that can help them identify their stress level and get instant results directly on the site.
This winter, Blue Cross will unveil an additional live social worker resource for caregivers. Using this resource, members can connect with a social worker over the phone to talk about their specific caregiving situation and receive advice. The social worker may identify where the caregiver needs help or where they can go to get connected with additional resources from Blue Cross or within their community.
Look for more details in the upcoming months.