Share the Care, Stay in Sync

One of the most common things we hear from dementia caregivers is: "I feel like I'm doing this alone." Even in families where everyone cares deeply, the practical reality is often that one person — usually an adult child or spouse — carries the overwhelming majority of the daily care burden. Other family members want to help but do not know what needs doing, or they live far away and feel disconnected.

OurTurn's Family Circle feature was built to change this dynamic. By giving every family member visibility into the daily care plan, check-in data, and care journal, OurTurn makes it possible for siblings, partners, extended family members, and even close friends to participate meaningfully in care — regardless of where they live.

When everyone can see what is happening, help becomes practical rather than theoretical. A sibling who lives an hour away can see that Mum had a tough morning and call to check in. A partner who works long hours can review the day's progress before coming home. A cousin who visits on Sundays can look at the care journal to understand what the week has been like.

Setting up your Family Circle is straightforward. From your caregiver dashboard, you can invite family members by email. They create their own OurTurn account and are connected to your household with a role that you assign. Roles help you control who can edit the care plan and who has view-only access.

The invitation process works through both the web dashboard and the caregiver mobile app. Invited members can join from either platform — some family members may prefer the web interface while others live on their phones. Everyone sees the same information, and all changes sync in real time across every device.

For families with complex dynamics — perhaps a primary caregiver who manages the plan, siblings who help on weekends, and a grandchild who pops in for activities — roles ensure that everyone has appropriate access. The primary caregiver maintains control while still benefiting from the support of the whole family.

OurTurn also generates a unique Care Code for each household. This six-digit code is what connects the patient app to your family's account. You can share the Care Code with anyone who needs to set up the patient app on a device for your loved one.

The Care Journal is where your family builds a shared record of daily observations, notes, and moments. Any family member can add an entry — a quick note about how lunch went, a reminder about an upcoming appointment, or a lovely moment worth remembering.

For families who share caregiving duties across the week, the journal is invaluable. Monday's caregiver can read Saturday's notes and understand the context of the week. A family member who visits once a month can browse the journal to catch up on what has been happening. The journal becomes a running narrative of your loved one's daily life that keeps everyone connected and informed.

Entries are timestamped and tagged with the author's name, so you always know who wrote what and when. You can add voice notes as well as text — sometimes it is easier to speak a quick update than to type it out. Voice notes are automatically transcribed so they are searchable and readable alongside text entries.

The journal syncs in real time across all family members' devices, and entries can be included in Doctor Visit Reports when you want to share observations with your loved one's healthcare provider.

When your loved one completes a care plan task, every family member with access sees it update in real time. When a daily check-in is submitted, the mood and sleep data appears on everyone's dashboard. When a location alert is triggered, all family members are notified. This shared visibility means no one is ever out of the loop.

OurTurn uses real-time sync powered by Supabase Realtime, which means updates appear within seconds across all connected devices. There is no need to refresh, no need to ask "has Mum taken her pills?" by text — you can just look at the dashboard.

This real-time connection also supports families who coordinate care across time zones. An adult child in Australia can check their parent's daily progress in the UK before going to bed, knowing they will see the latest information. A sibling in another city can monitor the afternoon routine while the primary caregiver is at work.

For families who are just beginning to share care responsibilities, the visibility that OurTurn provides is often the catalyst for meaningful change. When everyone can see how much the primary caregiver is doing — and how much there is to do each day — it naturally encourages others to step up and contribute.