Charlene Dundie found herself in a very difficult position. Her husband, Phil, was dying of esophageal cancer and wanted to spend his last days at a specialty hospice.
"When Phil got sick, he would not stay at home because he didn't want us to have memories of him being sick there," recalls Dundie, the director of graduate school arts and science admissions at Fordham University in New York City. "I was in a bind because I was balancing work, a daughter in high school and wanting to spend every minute I could with my husband."
Dundie found support and encouragement through CareCircle, which builds customized Web pages for people in crisis. The sites, based on information provided by friends and family members, include a guest book, calendar, photo album and other interactive features.
People can sign up on CareCircle Web pages to provide support to loved ones. For example, a neighbor can sign up to deliver a hot meal Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to help out a friend who works fulltime and has an elderly parent at home. Think MySpace or FaceBook, but with the goal to connect individuals and families in crisis with community.
CareCircle founder Janice Gallick created one of the company's specialized Web pages for Charlene. The two families were part of the same community in Pleasantville, N.Y., and Phil had done gardening work for Gallick when her husband was stricken with cancer.
At first, Charlene was skeptical. She didn't want to see her family's private ordeal splashed all over the Internet. But she was won over when Gallick assured her that only those with a password given to them by Charlene could could log onto Phil's page, and that the site would not turn up in Google searches.
"At first I was very hesitant because both me and my husband are very private," says Dundie. "But with CareCircle, you work with a group that you select, and with us, it was our closest friends."
The online presence of a CareCircle page helps stem the usual flood of phone calls that infiltrates a home following a crisis. Friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors who want to help can check the Web page for updates and volunteer for particular duties. Those who live far away can easily keep informed through Web posts and feel they're contributing by having meals delivered from local restaurants or groceries from the local supermarket.
"It's a service in a time of need that allows the community to reach out to you in a way that's personal, while at the same time maintaining your privacy," says Dundie.
Expanding to employers
Gallick believes CareCircle could serve as an important tool for employers by reducing absenteeism and employee stress in times of crisis, while also improving employee loyalty.
"We believe that the ability to help employees handle their life challenges more effectively and in a more humane manner would benefit the employer in a multitude of ways," remarks Gallick. "Absenteeism occurs when someone in the family is sick and the employee has to constantly take care of all their needs. People are also stressed when they have an issue going on with their family. If there are more hands to help out, stress levels will go down and productivity will go up. For all the reasons that an employer would want to offer a benefit, this really qualifies for all those things."
CareCircle recently inked a partnership with LifeCare, a work-life and employee benefits company based in Shelton, Conn. Starting last month, LifeCare made CareCircle's Web page services available to its more than 1,500-company client base.
Marianne Stook, managing director of employer-sponsored work-life programs for LifeCare, says the organization saw real value in the CareCircle tool.
"We thought it was a perfect extension of what we do," says Stook. "Sometimes, the ripple effect of a life event is pretty broad."
On its Web site, CareCircle promotes its product as particularly effective for families affected by a medical crisis, elder care, a new baby or military duty. However, the space also can be used to assist families affected by natural disasters, children with special needs and bereavement, notes Gallick.
Forming the circle
Gallick created the program about four years ago when she desperately sought to fill her own emotional void when her husband, Brian, was diagnosed with cancer.
Just prior to the Brian's diagnosis, Gallick's mother and stepfather and Brian's mother all had passed away within a short timespan. Gallick was reeling from the losses when couple received news of Brian's illness. After grouping together with some tech-savvy friends, CareCircle was born.
Today, Gallick focuses mainly on marketing and sales while Brian, who is in total remission, takes care of product development and customer service. "We said, 'This is something that really changes people's lives. It's amazing what it did for us, and if it doesn't exist, we're going to create it.' So that's how we created CareCircle," Gallick says.
The Gallick's CareCircle page helped the family get through an emotional and turbulent time, and they want to share the tool with other families and communities who are suffering.
Even though Charlene Dundie lost her husband Phil last year, she is thankful that CareCircle was available to keep her family functioning and focused while he battled cancer. Charlene also says Phil loved to read the messages she would print from the CareCircle page and bring to him at the hospital. Some were from friends he had known as long as 40 years.
"I will always be indebted to them for allowing me to spend that much time with my husband," says Dundie, adding that CareCircle has allowed her to draw positive memories from what might have been an otherwise insurmountable experience. That could very well be the ultimate employee benefit.—C.S.
