Consumer visits to the merged Caring.com and Gilbert Guide directories have grown by more than 40 percent so far this year, highlighting the demand for a comprehensive, free, open list of local eldercare resources.

SAN MATEO, CA, June 30, 2010 Consumer visits to the merged Caring.com and Gilbert Guide directories have grown by more than 40 percent so far this year, highlighting the demand for a comprehensive, free, open list of local eldercare resources. Family members caring for an aging parent or spouse increasingly use Caring.com, a leading online destination for caregivers, to find local help and housing options for their loved ones. Thanks to a comprehensive and free directory, businesses are also seeing value””as evidenced by the growth of listings and new clients, including two of the nation’s top three assisted-living companies.

The inclusive directory is built using an open directory business model, one that allows eldercare communities and living facilities to include basic information for free, delivering significant value for consumers and business partners. Leading assisted-living companies have worked with Caring.com to ensure inclusion.

“We consistently heard from our users they needed help in finding a trusted guide to senior housing options,” said Caring.com CEO Andy Cohen. “We did not think the current industry players were meeting their needs, so, to fulfill our mission, we merged with Gilbert Guide to let consumers see more than 100,000 different local options for 14 categories of senior services. It’s not just a list of those who pay to participate.”

The Caring.com eldercare directory provides housing and service providers across the country with the opportunity to reach caregivers directly through consistent branding and messaging, and it allows the caregivers to control when and how they contact these providers. The open model is an industry first and offers two listing options: basic listings, which include contact information, photographs, and a short description; and enhanced listings, which, for a small annual fee, provide more visibility through improved presentation in search results, cross-promotion throughout the directory, and an embedded lead form.

Brookdale Senior Living and Emeritus Senior Living have both recently joined the company’s list of advertisers as a way to expand awareness and reach caregivers.

“Both appreciate the way Caring.com allows them to deepen their relationships with family caregivers by providing valuable information on topics like senior nutrition and family communication,” said Caring.com Vice President Evan Liang, who heads up the company’s directory business. “By allowing our partners complete control of their own brand image and direct access to people in need of assistance, they end up getting more””and better””leads after all.”