Carers UK today (25 Jan) makes a pioneering move into the app market with the launch of Jointly - a tool to help families manage care for loved ones alongside increasingly complex lives.

A rapidly ageing population coupled with rising life expectancies for those with illness or disability mean care is a huge and growing issue for society.

Across the UK there are 6.5 million carers – half juggling care with work, a third caring for older relatives alongside raising children.

Jointly - available for mobile phones, tablets and computers – offers a simple, practical way to share information and co-ordinate tasks amongst an invited circle who are helping look after a loved one.

Madeleine Starr, Carers UK Director of Business Development and Innovation said: “Society has changed vastly in recent years. Gone are the days of multiple generations living in the same house, street or even in the same town. Generations and siblings now often live in different cities or even countries and caring responsibilities are often shared.

Co-ordinating care with relatives, friends and neighbours from opposite ends of a motorway, often alongside other responsibilities such as paid work and children, can quickly become stressful and challenging. Across age divides we embrace technology in so many ways – banking, shopping, entertainment connecting and socializing – and it makes perfect sense to use it for caring too.”

Carers UK has been researching caring technologies for many years and has found clear evidence that the challenges of ‘distance caring’ and ‘sandwich caring’ can be eased with technology.

Heléna Herklots, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “This isn’t about replacing hands-on care with technology. We need to realise the potential of technology to support caring just as it helps many people in daily work and leisure. Carers UK brings Jointly to the market on the back of almost 50 years’ experience of working with and for carers and we are proud to be leading research and development work in this area.”

The Jointly app offers:
•    Private and secure group messaging to keep everyone informed and better connected.
•    Profile and contacts page, with easily accessible vital information such as medication lists.
•    Shared calendar and task lists to coordinate responsibilities, organise what needs to get done and store important information.

The app was developed by Sidekick Studios and Milo Creative and was supported by social tech funder Nominet Trust and the Technology Strategy Board.

Jointly is available to download as a mobile app from Apple and at Google Play stores for a one-off payment of £2.99. A PC/Laptop version is also available jointlyapp.com

Once you have purchased Jointly you can invite as many people as you want to share the care with you. There is no additional cost for the people you invite to join you.

Find out more at carersuk.org/jointly

Contacts:
•    Steve McIntosh 0207 378 4937 / [email protected]  
•    Maggie Stratton 0207 378 4936/ [email protected]
•    Out of hours mobile: 07875724088 or 07941273108.

Notes for Editors:
Carers UK is a charity set up to support the millions of people who care for an elderly relative, a sick partner or a disabled family member. Carers UK:   

• supports carers and provides information and advice about caring
• influences policy through our research
• campaigns to make life better for carers

www.carersuk.org