Essential Care Services - Caregiving App
A web platform designed for Essential Care Services, providing personalized in-home care for seniors in Stafford, Virginia. Built with modern web technologies, the app allows caregivers to check in/out, log activities, and manage schedules, while families can track care and receive updates in real time.
Technologies Used
Project Info
My Role
Full Stack Developer
Team Size
1 person
Duration
2 Weeks
Timeline
7/17/2024 - 7/21/2024
Category
web
Featured
Yes
About This Project
Essential Care Services is a full-featured web platform I built to support a home care business serving elderly clients in Stafford, Virginia. The app connects caregivers, clients, and families through a seamless digital experience that combines compassionate care with modern technology. Developed using Next.js, Postgres, Tailwind CSS, and Cloudinary, the platform is designed to operate like a mobile app, with a responsive, fast, and intuitive user experience. Impact This project is live and in active use by Essential Care Services, improving caregiver accountability and increasing family trust. It demonstrates my ability to build production-ready, business-critical applications from the ground up — including UI/UX, backend logic, database modeling, and deployment.
Key Features
- 👨👩👧👦 Client Portal: Families can securely monitor care activity logs, stay informed about their loved ones, and receive real-time updates.
- 🧠 Role-Based Access Control: Custom views and permissions for caregivers, administrators, and clients.
- 📱 Mobile-First Design: Optimized for smartphones and tablets to support on-the-go caregivers.
- ☁️ Cloud Media Integration: Photo and video uploads powered by Cloudinary to document care with transparency.
- 🔐 Authentication & Security: Secured login and data handling using modern best practices.
Challenges Overcome
- Challenge: Elderly users and caregivers struggled with complex interfaces. Solution: Designed a mobile-first, ultra-simple UI with clear navigation and accessibility in mind.
- Challenge: Sensitive data required strong security without limiting access. Solution: Implemented role-based access and JWT authentication with protected routes.
- Challenge: Uploading media slowed performance and inflated storage needs. Solution: Integrated Cloudinary for optimized uploads, storage, and automatic thumbnail generation.
- Challenge: The business needed the app live quickly for operations. Solution: Delivered an MVP in weeks using agile methods, Next.js 14, and Postgres
What I Learned
Building for real-world users: Designing for seniors and non-tech-savvy caregivers taught me the value of simplicity, clarity, and accessibility in UI/UX. Cloudinary optimization: Learned to manage image and video uploads efficiently with automatic transformation, compression, and delivery at scale. Secure architecture: Deepened my understanding of role-based authentication, route protection, and securing sensitive client-side operations. Agile product delivery: Managed fast iterations and client feedback loops to launch a working MVP in a real production environment. PostgreSQL schema design: Gained practical experience modeling relational data with Drizzle ORM, focusing on data integrity and performance.
Mobile Screenshots
