These Guides are available to any organization or individual free of charge. With our permission, users can modify these documents to reflect the needs of their organization. They are downloadable in PDF and WORD formats.. The Caring Collaborative is a health-focused program of reciprocal service where members both give and receive. Using a simple but optional time-banking system it matches those who need service with those able to give. It expands the ranks of caregivers by including friends, colleagues and community members, and includes those who give once in a while and those who are often on call. It builds community. It can be scaled according to the needs, size and capacity of organizations. The programs are easy to organize, and inexpensive, relying basically on volunteers.
Summary of Caring Collaborative Guides: Note that sections of the documents can be accessed without going through the entire Guide by clicking on the appropriate Table of Contents title.
The Guides are:
1. Creating a Caring Collaborative describes a low-cost health support program for organizations to offer to their members. Some or all of the components can be selected. It includes:
a.) a corps of volunteers who engage in reciprocal exchanges of health support, like taking members to doctor appointments, etc.
b.) peer groups where members bond and discuss health strategies,
c.) an optional low-cost Time Bank with software that matches people needing help with those offering help,
d.) communication – newsletters, programs, meetings,
e.) a member information exchange for sharing experiences with medical conditions or procedures, and with healthcare providers.
2. Creating a Vertical Village in a High Rise-Building shows how to leverage the convenience of proximity to help residents, staff and management deal with building security, safety, emergencies, and those in need of neighborly assistance.
3. What You Need to Know When You Go The Hospital offers advice to members such as what to bring to the hospital, organizing a support network, and how to advocate for yourself.
Featured in: The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Nursing Spectrum; Endorsed by: The Visiting Nurses of New York, the NYC Department for Older People, Gail Sheehy.
