GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan, July 11, 2017—Imperial Clinical Research Services has received a 2017 Caregiver Friendly Award. This award, given annually by Today’s Caregiver magazine, honors outstanding products, services, publications, and media designed with the best interest of caregivers in mind.
Imperial received the honor for an app it created to assist caregivers of patients enrolled in an international Alzheimer’s disease clinical research study. It connected each patient and their caregivers to the research site through a personal, custom portal available online and through their smartphones. It was rolled out through research sites in local languages in more than 25 countries.
“The average caregiver is responsible for over $40,000 in health-related expenditures each year, in either personal or directed funds,” said Gary Barg, editor in chief of Today’s Caregiver magazine. “This award is designed to help family caregivers recognize and reward those organizations who will care for them in as committed a manner as they care for their loved ones.”
“Caregivers are often overburdened,” said Melynda Geurts, vice president of Imperial’s patient engagement group. “This app directly assisted and enhanced the caregiver’s experience, and also helped the research study exceed its retention goal.” Vaughn Anthony, director of creative services for Imperial, said, “We extend our thanks to Today’s Caregiver magazine for this honor. We also salute the millions of caregivers worldwide who are so essential to taking care of the day-to-day needs of the people who rely on them. They are important to the advancement of clinical research.”
Today’s Caregiver magazine, launched in 1995, is an informational and inspirational resource for family and professional caregivers. More information is available at caregiver.com.