How We Curate¶
Every resource in this wiki is selected, verified, and maintained to a consistent standard. This page explains how.
Evidence grades¶
Every resource is assigned an evidence grade based on its source:
| Grade | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical | Published in peer-reviewed clinical literature or developed from validated instruments | BSFC-s burden scale, PRAPARE screening tool |
| Government | Official government program, agency publication, or statute | NFCSP, Medicaid HCBS waivers, ACL reports |
| Peer-reviewed | Academic research, systematic reviews, or data from recognized research institutions | AARP/NAC caregiving survey, Columbia caregiving index |
| Community | Reported by caregiving organizations, advocacy groups, or direct caregiver experience | Support group directories, community-reported resources |
Higher grades are not "better" — a community-reported respite care provider is as valuable as a government program. The grade tells you where the information comes from so you can assess it yourself.
How resources are selected¶
A resource enters the wiki when it meets all of these:
- Relevant to family caregivers — addresses a need in one or more of the six zones
- Currently active — the program, organization, or service is operational
- Verifiable — we can confirm eligibility criteria, contact information, and services through an official source
- Non-commercial — we do not include paid services or products unless they are the only option in a category (and we disclose this)
How resources are verified¶
Resource pages show when they were last reviewed. Verification means:
- Program pages: eligibility criteria, phone numbers, and URLs confirmed against the program's official website or authorizing legislation
- Organization pages: contact info, services, and geographic coverage confirmed
- Evidence pages: statistics confirmed against the cited source publication
- Guide pages: reviewed for accuracy against current best practices
Review schedule¶
Different kinds of pages need different refresh cycles. Government programs can change with budget cycles, while published research is usually more stable. Pages that need review are flagged for re-verification rather than silently removed.
| Content type | Default stale window | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Government programs | 90 days | Eligibility and funding change with budget cycles |
| Organizations | 180 days | Contact info and services shift less frequently |
| Evidence/research | 365 days | Published findings are stable |
| Guides | 180 days | Best practices evolve |
Stale resources are not removed — they are flagged and re-verified. If a resource is no longer available, it is marked as such with the date it was last confirmed active.
Citations¶
Every statistic and major factual claim should link to a source in our bibliography. Citations are intended to make the claim auditable:
- inline citations point to source pages or external references
- source pages identify title, author or organization, year, URL, and relevant notes
- resource and methodology pages should make it clear which claims depend on which sources
If you find a claim without a citation, that is a bug. Please let us know.
Publication boundary¶
This wiki is the public reference for GiveCare's conceptual model, evidence base, and methodological rationale. It is not a full archive of company operations.
That means we publish process, theory, validation posture, and known limits, but do not publish every operational metric, prompt detail, partner-specific outcome, or tuned production parameter. See What We Share Here for the editorial boundary we use when deciding what belongs on the public site.
Maintenance¶
This wiki is maintained by a combination of:
- Source monitoring: government publications, program updates, and research are flagged for review
- Assisted drafting: source summaries, first drafts, and cross-reference checks can be drafted with AI support
- Human review: new resources and significant updates are reviewed before publication
- Quality checks: schema validation, staleness detection, orphan page detection, and citation checks run during maintenance
Assisted tools help with bookkeeping. Humans make the judgment calls: what to include, what to emphasize, what needs caveat language, and what does not belong in a public resource.
What this wiki is not¶
- Not medical advice. Resources here are informational. For medical decisions, consult a healthcare provider.
- Not a crisis service. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text 741741 (Crisis Text Line).
- Not comprehensive. We focus on the most impactful, widely available resources. Local resources vary — contact your Area Agency on Aging (1-800-677-1116) for location-specific help.
- Not a product pitch. GiveCare builds this wiki as a public resource. The wiki exists to help caregivers, not to sell software.
- Not a complete operations archive. We publish the public methodology and evidence base here, not the full operating record behind the product.