It may sound surprising that one in every seven Americans is taking care of an adult loved one right now! Taking care of a loved one can be a very rewarding experience but with one’s busy work schedule and high cost involved, it can be very stressful too. CareCoPilot, an NYC-based startup is aiming to save time and money for caregivers so that they can spend more time enjoying their loved ones and less time worrying about needed care.
Alyse Dunn, the founder of CareCopilot and an ex-software engineer of Venmo tells Future Startup why she feels so passionate about her mission of making taking care of the elders easy: “My sister and I took care of our aging parents for a total 8 years, one right after the other. In the course of those 8 years, we never found anything that made our experience as their caregivers easier. So, after our parents passed away, I left my job as a senior software engineer at Venmo to go build it. My lived experience is definitely what made me feel so strongly about leaving my role to start CareCopilot.”
Unfortunately, there are not that many apps or online services out there that help an individual take care of his/her loved ones without making even more work! There are plenty of apps that help you organize your documents, but you must learn a new tool and potentially scan a bunch of documents into that app. There are other apps that help you apply for state or federal financial assistance programs that you may qualify for, but then you must upload a bunch of sensitive information to the app and answer a lot of questions before you get any value. “CareCopilot is different” – says Ms. Dunn, “it understands that when you're an exhausted and overwhelmed family caregiver, you need tools that simplify your life as a caregiver with as small of an up-front investment of time or money as possible.”
Creating an account at CareCopilot is free. By signing up, a new user immediately gets access to the free content and community that are already available. The app plans to roll out a feature in 2023 that gives its users cash rewards that can be used to help finance the care of any future loved ones who need it. Currently, the app is allowing a set number of people to opt into its beta feature, so by enrolling now, they’ll be guaranteed a spot in that beta.
Alyse dreams that within the next five years, anyone in the USA who needs to take care of an adult loved one, will not be lost as she was. Instead, people will know where to turn to manage that entire care journey and that would be turning to CareCopilot.
