UW-Milwaukee: Partners with CareConscious to deliver TCARE to family caregivers

MILWAUKEE – CareConscious, a North Carolina-based start-up company, has completed a license agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Research Foundation to bring care management tools to family caregivers across the country through a highly customizable Internet program.

CareConscious will integrate the TCARE system developed at UWM with the CareConscious Web-based platform for family caregivers that educates, supports and encourages healthy family caregiving and proactive senior care planning though all stages of life.

TCARE (Tailored Caregiver Assessment and Referral) was created by Rhonda Montgomery, Helen Bader Endowed Chair in Applied Gerontology in UWM’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. TCARE is a care management process designed to guide care managers in assessing the needs and strengths of family members who serve as caregivers and effectively link them with resources. TCARE is the recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Leadership in Caregiving Award, the nation’s highest honor given in the caregiving field.

“We’re thrilled to be working with Dr. Montgomery, who is a recognized leader for family and professional caregivers providing long-term care.” said Cara Mae Melton, CEO of CareConscious. “We believe that Dr. Montgomery’s 25 years of work and research, coupled with the TCARE program, will add depth and insight to the 8 Principles of Healthy Family Caregiving program, and will ultimately improve the lives of family caregivers – as well as those they work so hard to care for – on a national level.”

“The CareConscious model, which offers direct support to family caregivers via the Internet, will allow TCARE to reach an even broader audience,” added Montgomery.

Stan Stojkovic, dean of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, said: “We are pleased with the development of this new partnership. It is a natural complement to the existing relationships with agencies throughout the country that have allowed Dr. Montgomery to develop the system and demonstrate that TCARE improves the lives of family caregivers.”

The UWM Research Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that supports research and innovation at UWM through a variety of programs, including patenting and licensing.

CareConscious’s mission is to continually advance positive caregiving outcomes through technological innovation, unique content delivery and precisely customized programs that make family caregivers’ lives easier, healthier and more manageable.

About UWM: As Wisconsin’s premier public urban institution, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee enjoys a growing national reputation for excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. On an operating budget of $680 million, it educates approximately 30,000 students and is an engine of innovation for Southeastern Wisconsin. The 104-acre main campus and satellite sites are located in the economic and cultural heart of the state. The university’s recent expansion includes new academic and research facilities and the creation of the only School of Freshwater Sciences in the United States and the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.

About CareConscious: CareConscious has created the first Web-based platform that educates, supports and encourages healthy family caregiving practices and proactive senior-care planning for all stages of life. Its flagship program, The 8 Principles of Healthy Family Caregiving, was born from the personal experiences of its founders, and then designed and vetted by world-renowned experts with deep roots in academia and personal family caregiving experience. The 8 Principles organizes the complex world of caregiving in an easy-to-follow program that engages users with videos, online assessments and access to the best available resources, customized to the users’ personal situations. Though users can browse http://www.careconscious.com for current content and videos, the real benefit lies in enrolling in the 8 Principles program. Upon completion, family caregivers know what to expect and have guidelines they can rely on in the future; can improve emotional, financial, legal, medical, familial and residential situations; can better prepare important financial, legal and medical documents; and can get and remain more organized and prepared (saving valuable time and money).

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(CONTACT: Brian Thompson, 414-906-4653, briant@uwmfdn.org; or Cara Mae Melton, caramae@careconscious.com, 757-383-3728)