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eHope forms and facilitates caregiver communities which provide non-medical physical, social, and emotional support for a loved one who faces a life threatening illness.

Description:
Specifically, we organize family, friends, neighbors and co-workers in support of someone who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness (cancer, MS, ALS, Altzheimer's disease etc.). We host initial face-to-face meetings with the circle of caregivers and then provide a secure web site used to communicate the day-to-day needs of the patient and their family. In addition to the web site, eHope provides an assigned facilitator volunteer for the entire life of the group. Caregiver communities do things like, prepare meals, provide transportation, provide respite for primary caregivers, perform yard work, dump runs, pick up medications etc. eHope provides all of its services free of charge, relying on grants and private donations.

History:
The eHope community caregiving model has gradually evolved during the past 5 years. The vision for eHope emerged in 2002 as founder and President Jeffrey Wood was serving as a patient volunteer on the Oncology unit at the Maine Medical Center in Portland Maine.

During that time spent serving cancer patients and their families, Jeffrey became aware of a lack of consistent care giving which follows the patient across all care settings resulting in disruption of care, difficulty in maintaining adequate communication and additional stress being placed on caregivers and their families.

eHope became a certified 501c3 non-profit in March 2005 and since that time we have formed approximately 36 facilitated caregiver groups with extended online communities covering 1,800 people to care for the sick and dying citizens of Maine.

Contact people:

Jeffrey Wood, President, (phone), (email) Leisa Collins, Operations Manager, (phone), (email) Stefani Auger, Social Worker, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (207) 856-7340

Address:

PO Box 7794 Portland, ME 04112

Web Site: http://www.eHope.nu

Miscellaneous Information

What is your TTY phone number?
	none
This agency has United Way funded programs
	No
The agency places volunteers in these categories:
	Adults