My grandfather lived into his early 90s, but in that last decade of life he struggled with dementia, falls, and even broke a hip. As much as I wanted to help, my grandparents lived a three-hour flight away. Most of the work to care for my grandfather fell to my grandmother.

If you ever helped an older family member when they were sick, you probably experienced how complex it can be. There are appointments to stay on top of, health changes other family members will want to know about, and the basic tasks of eating regular meals and taking the dog for a walk.

Right now 53 million people in the United States are caregivers to family members. That is 1 in 5 adults – a number that is only going up as Baby Boomers age and need help.

Fortunately, there are more tools available now to support these family caregivers. I collected a list of the top five apps to help this important group of people.

App #1: CaringBridge

Most caregivers could use more help. In fact, CaringBridge did a survey and found 53% said they could use more help with food, chores, transportation, and finances. But few caregivers reach out to others to ask for the help they need. Most are in the thick of taking care of their family member.

That is where CaringBridge’s tools can help. CaringBridge offers websites that bring family members and friends together to coordinate support. The sites can be used to share health updates, assign tasks to different family members, and keep track of appointments, medications, and even pet care.

App #2: Lotsa Helping Hands

Lotsa Helping Hands describes itself as, “A central place to coordinate meals and help for friends and family.” They offer an app where you can create a shared calendar for scheduling and assigning tasks, post photos and announcements, and where others can offer well wishes.

When you sign up, you are ‘creating a community’ which family can find in the app and join. People in your neighborhood can also volunteer to help.

Lotsa Helping Hands does make a point of not limiting the focus to elder care. The app can also be used by new parents who want to let family know how they can help.

App #3: Caring Village

I highly recommend checking out the Caring Village website. They are a full-service shop on all things caregiving. They have articles on the most helpful topics for caregivers, such as:

• Meal delivery services – what they are and how to sign up for one.
• Stair lifts – what types are available, what features they offer, and how much they cost.
• Long term care insurance – whether you need it and which companies offer it.

They also offer a set of checklists to help caregivers to stay organized. The checklists cover topics like:

• Doctors appointments – how to prepare and what questions to ask.
• Financial, legal, and estate planning – what documents your family member should have and how to store them in a secure place.
• Home preparedness and maintenance – how to make parts of your home safe for the elderly.

They also have an app that includes a centralized calendar, medication list, important document storage, and to-do lists so you can assign tasks. If you know anyone new to caregiving or who seems overwhelmed, Caring Village may be a great place to point them for a full set of resources.

App #4: Dementia Talk

As you can tell by the name, this app is focused on caregivers for people with dementia. I had two grandparents struggle with dementia, one of which had signs of it in her 60s. It is one of the most challenging caregiving situations imaginable. The behavior changes people go through can be frustrating, angering, and even scary.

The Dementia Talk app helps caregivers track and effectively respond to behavior changes from dementia. The most helpful features are the behavior tracker and care plan that helps caregivers use clinically proven strategies for addressing issues. It also has features to connect with other family and friends, list medications, and stay on top of appointments.

App #5: Care.com

You have probably seen the commercials for Care.com – they usually feature adorable kids describing why they love their babysitter.

However, Care.com also offers services for a range of needs. This includes:

• Senior care
• Special needs care
• Housekeeping
• Pet care

Family caregivers can get burned out, and these services can offer much needed respite for someone feeling overwhelmed. This can be an especially great option if there is not a lot of local support for your family member or friend.

There is a basic membership with Care.com that is free, but pretty limited. A Premium Family Membership starts at $13 per month if you subscribe for a year, and goes up to $39 if you subscribe for one month. There is also the cost for background checks and to pay the Care.com caregiver you hire.

Key Takeaways:

Being a caregiver for a family member or friend is one of the hardest jobs out there. It is common to get overwhelmed but also not know how to get help. These five apps make it easier to keep out-of-state family and friends in the loop, coordinate who is doing what task, and offer respite when caregivers need a break.

With a some digital help, caregiving just got a little bit easier.