CareZone Blog

Since the very beginning, our mission has been to provide a safe and private place to help you organize anything related to caring for someone. Thanks to your feedback, we’ve made tons of enhancements (from better printing, to more complete medication fields), and implemented a bunch of new features, from lockable notes and uploads, to increased file sizes per upload.

From the day we launched, though, you’ve had a consistent request—a calendar, focused on the individual you’re caring for. A calendar separate from your own, but shareable with your family and Helpers.

And today, we’re excited to introduce the CareZone Calendar, designed especially with your Loved Ones in mind.

Viewing your new calendar

Your new Calendar lies right below the CareZone Journal in the left menu. Here, you’ll be able to:

• organize and schedule one-off appointments
• schedule recurring appointments, such as physical therapy visits
• share the calendar with your Helpers
• assign appointments to Helpers
• ask your Helpers to volunteer
• visualize items that have yet to be assigned to anyone

We’ve included two viewing options to help you stay on top of your appointments. First is day view, which looks like this:

And if you prefer having a wider window into your events, try Month view:

(We’re also now hard at work on a Week view! Stay tuned!)

Adding events

Adding a new event is a breeze. Just click on the day it occurs and add in the details. We’ve included fields for:

• name of the event
• location
• event description
• start and end time
• whether or not it’s recurring

And we know you probably have Helpers, so like To-dos, we’ve allowed you to assign events to yourself or to your Helpers. For example, you might ask someone to help you get groceries for Mom one day…

Events that need a volunteer will visually stand out (see events above, with the pink exclamation point), so you and your family will know where help is needed.

We’re also thinking of adding notifications to these assignments, so you’ll know when you’re being depended upon (and you’ll be able to tell someone else you’re depending on them).

Schedule away

So there you have it—Calendar is finally here!  We’ll constantly be working on and improving it, so if you have an idea, suggestion, or request, let us know by sending an email to our Community Manager Marssy.

On a parting note, in order to get this calendar to you as quickly as possible, we’re launching it without iPhone or mobile site support. For now, anyway; integrating your Loved One’s calendar into all devices is one of our top priorities. 

When life happens, we reach out to those closest to us. It’s instinct.

When our social and family circles grow wider and wider, though, reaching out gets more challenging. Email feels cold and distant. A public social network isn’t appropriate for many topics. And calling everyone takes time (especially if you have chatty family members) and energy—often, just when you need your energy most.

But you want to get your message out quickly.

And that’s why we’re excited to introduce our newest feature: CareZone Broadcast, available now in the CareZone iPhone app.

What does it do?

It’s simple. Like email, you start by choosing a bunch of recipients you’d like to send a message to. Choose from your Contacts (CareZone or iPhone), or enter numbers manually. Tap a button to record a voice message, and then send it to everyone at once. Up to 100 phones can ring simultaneously. Our status page shows who received your message, who got a voicemail, and who couldn’t be reached.

When might I need it?

If you’ve ever run a phone tree, you’ll know exactly when to use it. Broadcast is excellent for those moments that keep people rocking in their chairs, waiting for news. Let your extended family know when your Loved One gets out of surgery. When your child is born. When you get the update on that x-ray.

It’s also useful for more mundane tasks, like letting the entire 3rd grade class know that the trip to Alcatraz was cancelled due to weather, or the family reunion picnic has changed venues. Email’s great, but there’s still no substitute for ringing someone’s phone—and that’s what Broadcast is for: getting the word out quickly to people who need to know.

How does it work?

First and most importantly, Broadcast is currently only available in CareZone for iPhones and iPads. For our Android friends, worry not: we most certainly have our sights set on an Android version, and we’re working on it. The same applies to our web browser users. The iPhone makes this kind of thing especially easy, which is why we’ve started there.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s check out Broadcast in action (even better: see the video up top to get the full run-down) .

Open the app, choose a Loved One, and select “Broadcast,” which now appears at the top of your menu.

Choose up to 100 recipients from either your CareZone contacts and Helpers, your iPhone contact list, or type numbers in yourself.

Record your message (you can always re-record it before sending) and then send it by tapping on “Send Broadcast.”

Next, you’ll see a status page, which lists each recipient and tells you whether or not your message has failed, gone to voicemail (your message will go to their voicemail), or been delivered successfully. We’ve done our best to take all the mystery out of this experience.

Ready for a test drive?

If you’re one of our iPhone users, please take Broadcast for a spin and let us know how it works! Even better, if you try now, you’ll receive $10 worth of Broadcasts! It’ll be totally free during the trial period, and after, each Broadcast will cost $0.99 ( for up to 100 recipients).

In case you still don’t have the CareZone iPhone app, download it today! And Android friends, remember we have you in mind, so stay tuned for the soon-to-be-launched Android app!

When you’re caring for someone, chances are you’re constantly on-the-go. I know that’s the case here.

To ensure that you’re always connected and in touch with what’s happening with your Loved Ones’ care, we’re thrilled to announce the official release of the CareZone iPhone app.

You may remember that we released an early version of the app not too long ago; during this period, we collected lots of valuable information from the users testing it out, and we applied that to what we’ve released today.

What does it do?

Our iPhone app has a great deal to offer. With it, you can:

• access, add to, and edit your Journal
• track medications
• manage and invite Helpers
• access a shared contacts list (added bonus: import your iPhone contacts, too!)
• add, assign, and complete to-dos
• write and edit notes
• access your uploaded files
• send a CareZone Broadcast message, an exciting new feature that lets you easily record a voice message and send it to up to 100 recipients at once. It’s currently a CareZone Mobile exclusive (only for iPhones).

What can’t it do?

Not a whole lot! That said, with our new iPhone app, you can’t:

• upload files from your phone
• access your CareZone Calendar
• send photos to your Journal
• lock notes or files
• add Hugs to Journal entries

At the Apple™ App Store nearest you!

We’d love for you to try out our official app and let us know how it makes your life easier. You can find it in the App Store.

Oh, and we promise we haven’t forgotten you, Android users! We’re currently working hard to develop an app just for you, too.

We’re looking forward to hearing your comments, suggestions, and ideas! Send an email to our Community Manager, Marssy.

Most of us have had our heads down lately (thanks, Calendar), but our CEO Jonathan has been making the rounds on television.

First, on October 18, he visited CNN’s Newsroom to talk about, among other things, the importance of online privacy when caring for your loved ones. Check him out:

Next up, on October 28, Jonathan headed over to chat with three technology reporters on NBC’s Press:Here. The topic this time spanned Jonathan’s departure from Sun Microsystems and his journey to co-founding CareZone.

Stay tuned! We’ll do our best to give you a heads up next time we’re on TV. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

CareZone just got a whole lot bigger. Well, virtually, at least.

A few weeks ago, CareZone community manager Marssy had a chat with one of our users about file sizes. From what we’d seen, most folks using CareZone were using our uploaded files feature to store and share important documents (like birth certificates, medical records, legal files, and so on). But the person Marssy spoke with uses it differently.

Continue Reading: Upload Larger Files to CareZone →

You know what’s wonderful? Holding CareZone in your hands for the first time.

As you may have seen in our last newsletter, we’re proud to announce that an early version of CareZone for iPhone is out! It’s available for free in the App Store.

Continue Reading: The CareZone iPhone App: First Look →

Sometimes, words just don’t cut it. When they don’t, we hope CareZone Hugs will help.

You may have noticed a new, colorful element in your CareZone account. It looks like this:

That’s the mark of our brand new CareZone Hugs. We’ve integrated four expressions into your Journal for when words just aren’t enough.

Continue Reading: Give and Get Hugs with CareZone →

There’s a major problem in the U.S.: something called “prescription adherence,” or really, lack thereof. It’s estimated that nearly half of people don’t take their medications in the way they’re prescribed.

If this were as simple as someone skipping pain medications or other types of (typically) one-off prescriptions, it might not be as pressing. But that’s not what’s happening.

What’s happening more often is that people with chronic illnesses (most commonly, those with hypertension, high cholesterol, or diabetes) are skipping the medicines that keep them healthier and, in some cases, keep them alive.

Continue Reading: Why You Should Track Medications →

CareZone is built to help you take care. Of everything.

We genuinely hope to make your life a little less stressful by helping out with the challenges of day-to-day life. You might already be aware that with CareZone, you can collaborate and coordinate with Helpers, track Medications, keep a To Do list, and store all sorts of information about those you’re caring for.

We want you to get the very most out of CareZone.

I went around and asked the team for their insider tips on getting the best experience while you’re here.

Continue Reading: Inside Advice: Tips from the CareZone Team →