From Isolation to Community: Why Caregivers Turn to Trualta Again and Again

Caregiving is one of the most challenging roles a person can take on, whether they’re caring for a loved one with dementia, managing medications, or navigating the complexities of a recent hospital discharge. Simply put, caregivers often feel alone and overwhelmed.

Trualta—a caregiver support and education platform with interactive features like support groups and webinars—has become a community that caregivers continue to return to. Caregivers are obsessed.

The Onset: Overwhelm and Orientation

It may be a new diagnosis, perhaps Alzheimer’s disease. It could be a feeling of complete burnout or isolation. One caregiver recently told us, “I was not having adult conversations.” Many of these caregivers know that they need support and resources, and find Trualta through their health plan.

Joining virtual support groups may feel intimidating, especially for people who are camera shy or private, but Trualta offers Anonymous Support Groups to ease them in. These groups are a great way for caregivers to initially seek support and connection while keeping their identities hidden.

In Trualta’s Anonymous Support Groups, caregivers keep their cameras off and type questions and responses as expert Care Educators moderate. Caregivers may listen in during their only free moment of the day, either during a lunch break at work, or in the car. One caregiver with a paranoid care recipient pretends to watch TV as they listen to the support group through headphones. The Care Educators say that for some people, the Anonymous Support Groups are a stepping stone, and for others they are a preferred format.

The Immersion: Connection and Competency

Trualta’s support groups quickly become a safe and welcoming space for caregivers. Often, caregivers join the on-camera groups when they become comfortable. They are able to connect, vent, ask questions, receive advice, seek emotional support, laugh and cry. The regular cadence of these groups enables caregivers to forge bonds and make friends. One caregiver attends three support groups in a day to maximize her time with other caregivers and the Care Educators. Caregivers keep coming back, week after week.

A caregiver recently said about the groups, “It’s not surface-level interaction. They get deep and transparent. [The Care Educators] are very open.” According to the Care Educators, the support groups are “a safe space for people. They don’t have to be strong and in charge. They can breathe and release.”

The Transition: Reflection and Resilience

As time goes on, a care situation may evolve, but Trualta support groups meet caregivers wherever they may be. Caregivers continue to attend Trualta’s support groups to seek meaning, help with transitions, or find closure. Still others may stick around for friendships, or to share their experience in the hope of helping others.

According to Trualta’s Care Educators, former support group participants have created their own unfacilitated Graduate Support Group, which meets weekly on Mondays to discuss current caregiving experiences. 

According to the Care Educators, the groups are their “lifeline.” They also describe one caregiver who initially didn’t share feelings, but who now is the most open person, advocating for others. Trualta “changed his way of being,” they said.

Why Caregivers Can’t Disengage

Caregivers often describe Trualta as “addictive.” It’s a community, a support system, and a source of empowerment. Caregivers who join Trualta find a sense of belonging and hope that keeps them coming back. In the world of caregiving, where isolation and burnout are common, Trualta truly is a lifeline.

Caregiver Engagement Over Time: 77 Total Engagement Events To-Date

“If you told me two years ago that I’d be participating in ongoing support groups and interacting with others like this, I would have been like, I’m not so sure about that.”

“Over time, I kind of hit rock bottom in terms of too much demand, too much stress, between work, caregiving, and trying to plan. I had no energy left, and that’s kind of the usual thing—when you hit rock bottom is when you finally start asking for help.”