What do personal emergency response systems (PERS), bathroom fall prevention products, incontinence supplies, home safety products, caregiver books and media, caregiving workbooks, and medication monitoring and home monitoring systems all have in common?  These are descriptions of some of our Caregiver Friendly Award winners from the past eleven years.  They also represent thousands of hours of loving labor by their producers and manufacturers, all working with one thought in common: “What can I do to help the life of the family caregiver become easier?”

Every year, we are truly impressed by the quality of the entries into the award program. But what I am most excited about is the wide variety of industries that are now sending in entries, and the incredible work they are producing with family caregivers in mind.  We have been asked to extend the deadline this year to accommodate some of these organizations and are happy to comply.  Therefore, the deadline for entries into the Caregiver Friendly Awards has been extended to April 19, 2013.

We at Today’s Caregiver magazine and caregiver.com launched the Caregiver Friendly Awards in 2002 to celebrate products, services, programs, books and media designed with the needs of caregivers in mind.  Entries in the products category have included wheelchairs, consumer medical devices, disposable products and accessible devices.

Among the entrants for services and programs have been insurance, medical and EAP programs, Area Agency on Aging programs, care and case management organizations, long-term care facilities, homecare and transportation organizations, as well as non-profit agencies. The books category concentrates on caregiver friendly books (informative, educational, inspirational, and insightful). Areas encompassed by the media entries are audio, video and Web site producers.

Award winners will be recognized at a Today’s Caregiver magazine’s Fearless Caregiver Conference. Winners will also be highlighted on caregiver.com (where last year’s winners can presently be found) as well as in the pages of Today’s Caregiver magazine.

Please share your labors of love with family caregivers and let them know that someone out there is thinking of them.  Award entry applications can be found online at www.caregiver.com or by calling 800-829-2734.