Pennsylvania Department of Aging demonstrates new PA Care Kit for family caregivers

Secretary Jason Kovulich of the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and Nathan Lampenfeld, special assistant, demonstrated the PA Care Kit — an online and printable resource for family and unpaid caregivers — at an informational session of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee. The department said the tool was developed under the Aging Our Way PA plan and was completed as tactic 128 in roughly nine months.

The Care Kit is intended to help Pennsylvania’s unpaid caregivers locate services, plan care and reduce caregiver stress, officials said. The department reported 37,000 visits to the Care Kit in the first seven days after launch, an average session time of seven minutes and more than 1,000 completed “understanding your needs” quizzes during that period.

The Care Kit is a collection of tools, worksheets and targeted guidance organized around a five-step framework: understand your role, gather information, strengthen supports, make a plan and take care of yourself. "The Care Kit represents a successful completion of 1 of the tactics established through Aging Our Way Pennsylvania," Kovulich said. Lampenfeld said the site includes an 18-question quiz that produces a custom, printable guide and a calculated burnout score to help caregivers prioritize follow-up.

Why it matters: the department told the committee the site responds to an…