They're knocking ... are you answering?

They're knocking ... are you answering?

A private company with a website focused on family caregivers released survey results Thursday. They detailed how stressful caregiving can be for loved ones. Financial and emotional stress pound these people.

Results of the caregiving.com survey couldn't have been a surprise to anyone keeping an eye on America's aging society. The company surveyed nearly 1,000 people in November and, among other findings, discovered: Three-fourths of the caregivers have either had to change their job or are not working; 69% said the caregiving is the No. 1 stressor in their lives; 58% spend more than 10 hours per week providing care and 22% spend more than 40 hours per week at it.

And half of the family caregivers surveyed have searched online for a senior living facility or in-home care. That's a lot of searchers.

It fuels a powerful question: What are they finding? The survey didn't answer (or ask) that. But if long-term care providers aren't asking themselves the same question, something is seriously wrong.

Thousands upon thousands of families are checking you out. That's issue No. 1. The second is that they're doing it online.

That's opportunity. By all accounts, it's opportunity that will only grow. Or leave you behind your competitors.