You moved away when you finished high school or college, but now there is someone back home—a parent, an elderly friend or another relative—who needs care.

The telephone, and perhaps a computer, can be your best friends if you need to care for a special person from a distance and you can't go home again.

• Conference calling. Whether it's just you or you have family members at a distance, the telephone offers you a chance to talk to your loved one and others involved at the same time about health care needs.
• Round robin calling. If you have siblings, you can schedule times when each of you can call your loved one to see how he or she is doing. If you are the only person at a distance, you can intersperse your calls along with the visits of other people who live closer to the loved one.
• Virtual visits. The computer allows people to communicate regularly today, even at great distances. If your loved one can read and send e-mail messages, you'll have a tremendous resource that will keep you in touch any time you're ready to communicate. And some computer sites or games also may appeal to your loved one, which is a bonus.
• Tap your hometown network. Your loved one is known by friends, neighbors and professionals in your hometown. Through telephone and computer communication you can begin to build a network of people to contact including a pastor, doctor(s), friends and neighbors. Ask for their help, and have them call or contact you.
• Be organized. You'll need to develop a way to keep things organized for your long-distance caregiving challenge. Your system might be as simple as keeping a notebook or creating a file on your computer.

  Your notebook details might include:

  • Important phone numbers.
  • Air and ground travel information, in case you're called to come home quickly.
  • Medical information about your loved one.
  • Resources in your hometown that can help your loved one.
  • Important notes you'd like to recall following your phone calls or e-mails.

Good communication can ease the problems of caring from a distance.