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New Smartphone App Makes it Easier for Caregivers to Remember, Keep Track of, and Share All Their Caregiving Tasks
Mountain View, CA (PRWEB) May 30, 2013
Unfrazzle, the smartphone app designed to reduce the stress of caring for others by making it easy to remember, keep track of, and share caregiving tasks while staying in-sync with family members, is now available in the Apple App Store. The initial version is free and an Android version will be available soon.
Caregivers using Unfrazzle define what tasks to include and how much detail is needed. Anything they deem important can be on their tracking list. Tasks can include medications, chores, therapies, appointments...anything.
Unfrazzle provides support for everyone in an Unfrazzle care network. Users connect with co-caregivers, including family and friends. They can even create and manage accounts for non-users, such as frail parents, children and pets.
Caregivers in an Unfrazzle network can assign tasks to others and see if these tasks are completed. Each Unfrazzle user has full privacy controls; they determine who gets access to their data and how much each gets to see.
For example, an Unfrazzle user gives his co-caregiver full access to all his information, except his mood journal which he wants to keep private.
Unfrazzle remembers any tasks a caregiver wants it to remember with plenty of flexibility for daily, weekly or monthly cylces. For example: Every 3rd week on Monday and Tuesday, 8 a.m. and noon.
Caregivers use Unfrazzle to remember all their tasks, even things they need to do for themselves, not just the people they are caring for. When a task is completed, the Unfrazzle user notes this by simply checking it off on the Unfrazzle screen. If needed a user can add details or attach notes to any completed task. This information is then shared with others in the care network.
All Unfrazzle data is backed up on secure servers. Even if users misplace their iPhone, they won't lose their data.
Not having an Internet or Wi-Fi connection is no problem because the app continues to work offline. Data is saved to be synced the next time the app is used while online. Unfrazzle works on multiple devices; the data stays in-sync.
INDUSTRY QUOTES:
"The caregiving community has a tremendous need for Unfrazzle. I believe it has the potential to unburden caregivers from much of the stress of keeping track of all the tasks they need to do every single day. It will also make it possible for them to easily share some of these tasks with others."
Kathy Kelly
Executive Director
National Center on Caregiving
Family Caregiver Alliance
"Caregiving is a tremendous responsibility that not only impacts the lives involved, but the health of the caregiver as well. Unfrazzle is taking on this challenge. It is a simple app that could make a profound difference."
Matthew Holt, Co-Chairman
Health 2.0 Conference
UNFRAZZLE USERS
Here are some examples of how caregivers are using Unfrazzle:
--Alex uses Unfrazzle to track the care of his aging Uncle Billy who lives in another city. Uncle Billy's primary caregiver in Alex's brother Brendon. Brendon also uses Unfrazzle.
--Jane and her sisters Betty and Marge use Unfrazzle to share and coordinate the care of their mother, while each cares for their own children. Betty also cares for her husband, a wounded veteran.
--Allen uses Unfrazzle to manage his complicated chemotherapy regimen. His wife uses Unfrazzle to keep an eye on Allen's activities so she can help whenever necessary.
BACKGROUND
In the United States alone, there is an estimated 65 million family caregivers, who on average spend 20 hours per week on their caregiving responsibilities. As the aging of the U.S. population continues to accelerate, this number will rapidly grow.
An estimated 20 million of these caregivers are in the "high burden" category. They spend an average 50 hours per week on their responsibilities, taking care of seriously impaired family members. These are a diverse group - caring for older people with Alzheimer's, children with Autism, friends or family with cancer, etc.
Family caregivers are frequently overwhelmed by the never-ending torrent of their caregiving tasks. Organizing tasks and ensuring they are completed is enormously stressful. Sharing tasks with co-caregivers is often complicated.
Many caregivers report feeling alone and unsupported - so much so, their own physical health and mental well-being suffers.
ABOUT THE UNFRAZZLE TEAM
Rajiv Mehta, founder and CEO, is a former NASA scientist with degrees from Princeton, Stanford and Columbia with experience leading innovation for Apple, Adobe, Interval Research and Symbol. A board member of Family Caregiver Alliance, and a leader in the Quantified Self movement, he created the apps Zume Life and Tonic, ground-breaking products that led to Unfrazzle.
Rajiv leads all Unfrazzle business, business developments and product development efforts, and participates extensively in various public forums and institutions.
David Bunnell, Media Chief, founder of PC Magazine, PC World, Macworld, BioWorld and numerous other media properties, is responsible for Unfrazzle's marketing, public relations and content development. He is the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Computer Press Association and The New York Times Fellowship award.
Hugh Dubberly, award-winning designer and educator, whose firm Dubberly Design Office advises some of the world's leading technology, media and health companies. Hugh, who has worked closely with Rajiv for many years, is collaborating on the design and development of Unfrazzle.
Ashvin Radiya, PhD, is at the forefront of multi-platform, hybrid app development. His firm, AvantSoft, develops software and provides development training on cutting-edge technologies for leading corporations around the globe. His team is providing software development services for Unfrazzle.
ABOUT THE UNFRAZZLE COMPANY
The Unfrazzle Company is an online media and smartphone app development company. We address the growing needs of tens of millions of family caregivers. Our task management and coordination tools and educational support are designed to make life easier for them--easier to provide quality care for their loved ones, easier coordination with co-caregivers, and most importantly, easier to maintain a reasonable level of sanity and personal wellness in their own lives.
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Unfrazzle is developed by Bhageera Inc, led by Rajiv Mehta. Bhageera Inc provides consulting services to help companies evaluate and commercialize radical innovation, with a focus on consumer health innovations.
Photos and screenshots available by request.
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