CareConnect

A platform for caregivers and senior citizens to connect

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Hackathon Project: CareConnect

Inspiration

We envision a world where technology can be used to create a positive impact in society and change people’s lives for the better. In everything we do, we strive to achieve this dream. This project is a small step of ours in this direction. For elderly individuals, a senior caretaker, responsible for providing companionship and support, can make a huge difference. For those who wish to stay in their private homes but the family members are unable to provide day-to-day support, hiring a caretaker can be the best option. More than 65 million people just in the United States provide care for chronically ill, disabled, or aging family members or friends annually. Family caregivers are the foundation of long-term care world-wise, exceeding medical long-term care spending in many countries. Furthermore, the aging population of the world is growing fast with predictions estimation a doubling of the current senior population by 2030. However, finding the right caretaker can be incredibly difficult and time-consuming. They must ensure that the support services required, schedules, location are all suitable for each of them. Both parties must also be able to confirm each other’s authenticity and exchange personal details. Our website aims to provide a platform for the elderly and caretakers to connect and ease the process of finding caretakers.

What it does

We provide a platform for the elderly and caretakers to connect. The caretakers the seniors or their family members register with their details, bio, location, and relevant time and/or data when the service is needed/available. Both parties will need to provide their government ID as proof to be verified. The senior or their family member can go through the available caretakers in their area and contact them accordingly. They can clarify their needs, discuss timings, check references and hire the caretaker who is best suited for the role. The seniors can also provide their reviews of the caretaker which can be used as a reference in the future.

How we built it

We used HTML, CSS, and Javascript to build the front end of the website. We used VS Code as our editor, with the extension Live Server to monitor the changes and progress. We used MySQL and PHP as an attempt to build a database.

Challenges we ran into

  1. We tried to learn MYSQL and PHP to build a database that would store the details of those who register on the website. Unfortunately, we ran across problems and were unable to complete this. However, we have taken this as a challenge and will be learning SQL to aid us in future projects.

  2. Coordinating, recording, and editing demo presentation video virtually was challenging and time-consuming

  3. Refining our idea to make it precise, implementable in the given timeframe, and within our capability took some deliberation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have put our heads together to create a functioning website by implementing concepts we taught ourselves, intending to help seniors. The potential we see in this project to create a positive impact in society inspires and motivates us to continually improve and build on our idea.

What we learned

This is the first time our team is taking on such a multifaceted task of building a website, so naturally, we had to teach ourselves the methods to implement our ideas on JavaScript, HTML, CSS. Tackling our issues and bugs gave us a new sense of appreciation for the work put in building existing websites. This project also made us realize the importance of strategic planning and communication while working as a team especially remotely. We learned to deliberate on deciding and prioritizing the important features first and keeping the accessary one for later. Finally, we got to put our time management skills to the test as we juggled university assignments and our project.

What's next

We will continue to work and build on our features to improve the experience of the user by making it more easily accessible and more useful for seniors, for example incorporating AI to verify users and personalize listings based on location and preferences, We plan to work on building an app to complement the website to increase our reach. Connecting our project with local delivery apps and/or registered volunteers for seniors to get help running errands like grocery/medicine shopping. We are also keen on incorporating a community forum tab for elders and family members in an area to connect and communicate. Additionally, we think that including tutorials, exercise routines, meditation guides, etc, under our activities and hobbies tab would enrich our users' lives and keep their minds engaged.

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