Caregiver Companion App - connecting caregivers with support

Hi, my name is Kay, and I've been a caregiver for years. I've helped with older relatives who were in car accidents, or who were recovering from open heart surgery... and I was a caregiver for my partner numerous times, in the 32 years we were together. I know what it's like to do 24/7 caregiving, getting almost no sleep, being constantly "on point", and also holding down a full-time job and keeping the household going. I've done regular wound care. I've helped with personal hygiene. I've cooked and cleaned and I've done a whole lot of laundry. And yes, it's every bit as challenging as it sounds.

In the years when I was tending to her, I struggled to find help... anywhere. We weren't wealthy enough to afford the kind of help she needed, but we weren't poor enough to qualify for assistance. Friends were able to help... For a while. But eventually, most had to get back to their lives. We really needed professional help, but either it wasn't available, or it was next to impossible to find. I had a lot on my plate - always.

But this isn't about me. Because I'm not the only one who's struggled with caregiving on that level. It's about the millions of other caregivers out there - many of them unrecognized and anonymous - who struggle far worse than I ever did, for longer than I had to, and with a lot less love in their lives than I had. Reading all their stories in social media groups literally made my hair stand on end at times. As over-extended as I was, I couldn't even imagine coping with the kinds of things I read about regularly. So many people were caring for others, uprooting their lives, losing their homes and jobs, friends and family... What's more, many were under constant scrutiny, suspicion (and sometimes personal attack), while they cared for others who didn't even recognize them or were aggressive and physically abusive.

When you're in that kind of situation, it's hard to know where to turn. You barely have time to take care of the day-to-day details, let alone think "big picture" and figure out how to ask for help. I know how it was for me. And as hard as it was for me at times, I had it easy, compared to so many.

It's a problem.

The thing is, it can be fixed. And I know how. Maybe this solution won't fix everything, but it can put help within reach for millions of caregivers with a smartphone and an internet connection. With this solution, we can break down the barriers that cause isolation - lack of information, lack of feedback, lack of support - and make it extremely accessible to those in need.

I've built an app I call "Caregiver Companion". It's a mobile app designed to work on any smartphone, as well as tablets, laptops, and desktops. It leverages generative AI ("gen AI"), using a reliable large language model that many applications are built on. Lots of people use gen AI to answer questions, get feedback, even get some coaching to help them through challenging times. It's been trained on massive amounts of information from a wide rang eof human experience. And it can be "taught" to be extremely helpful, polite, and supportive, as it offers feedback, provides moral support, and mentions useful resources.

When real people aren't (or can't be) there - gen AI can.

How do I know? Because I've been in the search, self-service, and knowledge management business for decades. I've been in charge of search programs at some of the world's largest and most influential companies. I've spent years figuring out how to connect people with the information they need, so they can self-serve. Whether it was getting a better understanding of their retirement savings/investing plans... or figuring out how to fix their laptops... I've been in this business for a long time, connecting people with the information they need to live better and cope well.

So, I'm uniquely positioned to make this app into even more of a reality. In order to serve the largest number of truly needy people, I need to build this to scale. The web app I have now is good - but it can be better. I need to refine the technical approach - focusing on security, scalability, and interaction. I have an excellent developer ready to get to work, and I have a comprehensive awareness campaign in the works.

To move forward, I need support - dollars and cents to put towards:

- Legal and accounting support

- Building out, tuning, and maintaining the app

- Coordinating ongoing enhancements

- Marketing and promotion efforts to reach users (who can be hard to find, because they're not out in the general public)

- Building alliances with organizations and agencies which serve caregivers

Testing and tuning the AI is an ongoing effort that will likely never end.

To learn more about the app and the mission behind CareGiver Companion, visit https://caregiverexcellence.net/app/

So, thank your support in making this mission a reality. This is important work.