If you’re a caregiver, you’re likely juggling your caregiving role with managing a household, being a mom, and holding down a full-time job. Now there’s a service that can help manage your family’s healthcare needs, easing the stress in one important area of your life.

While there are an increasing number of smartphone apps designed to simplify scheduling and record keeping for caregivers, Better is unique. Developed in partnership with the Mayo Clinic, Better combines an iPhone app with a concierge service offering 24×7 “live” healthcare assistance to subscribers.

Premium members have access to:

• A personal care assistant (a live human being!) to help you navigate the healthcare system, locate providers, make appointments, develop a wellness plan, set up mail order prescriptions, and demystify insurance plans and medical bills. The advocate will even lobby on your behalf when issues arise.
• Expert articles and tips customized to meet your specific needs.
• Tools allowing secure storage and sharing of health records for the entire family.
• Mayo Clinic nurses 24x7x365 (via phone).
• A “symptom checker” to help identify what might be wrong and suggest appropriate next steps.

In the interest of full disclosure, Better is not designed as a dementia-specific tool. However, the service has the potential to simplify healthcare for you and your entire family, thus making your life as a caregiver a bit easier. How many times have you called your physician’s office with a question only to be put on hold, directed to the nurse’s voice mail, or told someone will get back to you in 24-48 hours? Better offers another alternative.

I’m excited to share with you that our friends at Better are now offering a free one-month premium membership to readers of The Long and Winding Road. To claim your membership, simply click here. You can also register from the main page, but please use referral code: bettercarealz

Stop back and leave a comment letting us know about your experience – I’d love to hear your thoughts. Could concierge services become the norm as our population ages and the healthcare system becomes increasingly challenging to navigate?