Field of Work: Support networks for elders and disabled individuals.

Problem Synopsis: By reducing isolation and loneliness, social support networks significantly improve people's health. Yet individuals with disabilities, chronic illnesses or dementia often lack such networks. At the same time, older adults are the fastest-growing group using online social networking tools.

Synopsis of the Work: The PLAN Institute for Caring Citizenship and Tyze Personal Networks promoted Web-based social support networks called called Tyze. Working with organizations in California, Washington State and Vancouver, British Columbia, project staff developed training and marketing materials and online support tools to enable social service providers to build such networks for their clients.

Key Results: PLAN Institute and Tyze Personal Networks launched the Tyze model in San Francisco, Port Angeles, Wash., and Vancouver, British Columbia. After revising the approach to foster ties among informal (family) and formal (clinician) caregivers, project staff worked with 14 organizations in northern California to create personal Tyze networks for their clients. Each network serves an individual and his or her family, friends and caregivers.

Project staff also developed training and marketing materials, and trained 126 facilitators at the 14 organizations to help their clients create Tyze networks. All told, some 1,100 users participated in the networks created by the agencies for their clients.