In honor of Fall and the new school year, we’ve been celebrating “new beginnings” here at VoiceQuilt. However, some new beginnings — like the role reversal that occurs between adult children and their parents – can occur very gradually.

During 2011, we have been  highlighting helpful web sites.   This month’s gem is Caring.com.

What They Do: Caring.com is an online community dedicated to helping caregivers – particularly adult children caring for their aging parents.

Why You Should Care: During the last few weeks, I’ve read posts ranging from “6 Drinks That Fight Heart Disease” to “How can I persuade my father to stop driving?”. Although I’m not a caregiver for my parents right now, Caring.com offers a wealth of timely information to start me  thinking about the issues my siblings and I will face someday.

Why It’s cool: Andy Cohen founded the company after caring for his mom during her battle with lung cancer. He realized no comprehensive website existed  to help people figure out how to handle in-home care, choose products to help with daily living, and make the right financial and legal decisions.

“Caring for an aging parent is an emotional roller coaster. There’s an incredible need for reliable information, from experts and from others going through the same thing,”

When you join Caring.com’s community, you can pose questions for subject matter experts – anonymously. You can also join subject-specific newsletters, most notably one of the fastest growing Alzheimer’s resources online in the world, Caring.com’s Steps & Stages.

It’s a new season, with new opportunities and challenges. Whether you are caring for your aging parents or not,  it’s worthwhile to check out Caring.com today.