Free service helps families navigate the confusing world of elder care

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Betty Kamida was at a crossroads that families face every day. She needed to place her aging mom and dad in long-term care.

"We had to find a facility that had both memory care for my mother and assisted living for him, and we only had a few weeks to do it in," she said.

Kamida didn't know where to begin. It was overwhelming.

"Fortunately, the social worker at the rehab facility told me I should call CareSift," she said.

CareSift is a statewide support service for families faced with finding appropriate elder care settings for their loved ones.

“We don’t want families to struggle. That’s the whole reason we created CareSift, to be an extra source of support for them,” said Nicole Coglietta, the company’s founder and CEO.

She started CareSift six years ago after she struggled to place her grandfather in a care facility. She found it to be confusing even though she felt qualified.

"I thought if it's this difficult of a process for a medical social worker, what are all of our local families doing?" she said.

She spent months visiting long-term care facilities and care homes, creating a long list of options for families to choose from.

“We help families learn about adult daycare programs, in-home private hire caregiver agencies, big communities that have independent living, assisted living and memory care,” she said.

Coglietta and her CareSift team present families options on which care facilities or care homes meet their needs and their budget, including which ones accept Medicaid.

Kamida said in her case it removed the guesswork and eased the stress.

"They're fantastic," she said. "I don't know what I would have done without them."

Coglietta estimates CareSift has worked with hundreds of families in Hawaii, and care facilities of all sizes. The company is paid by elderly care providers and facilities but it is not affiliated with any of them.

CareSift does not charge for the services it provides.

“It’s completely free to any families and seniors in need of care. It’s a free long-term care navigation service,” Coglietta said.

To find out more about CareSift go to CareSift.com.

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