Announcing the Finalists of GuideWell's Caring for Caregivers Challenge

GuideWell, in collaboration with Catalyst @ Health 2.0, is excited to announce the finalists of the Caring for Caregivers Challenge! GuideWell sought organizations with programs, platforms, technology systems or services that enable family caregivers to provide in-home care of adult family members and improve the quality of life for both caregivers and care recipients.

$50,000 was awarded to the Caring for Caregivers Challenge finalists:

Carallel, LLC (Lake Forest, Ill.): Through the use of a digital platform, Carallel provides tools and personal guidance to help caregivers manage their caregiving responsibilities in one place. “MyCareDesk” is a fully-integrated support system that assists caregivers with planning and coordinating tasks and accessing resources across a range of topics including senior living, in-home care, health, wealth and lifestyle.

Embodied Labs (Los Angeles): Using a virtual reality (VR) training platform designed for family caregivers, care partners or anyone providing support to care recipients, Embodied Labs simulates what it is like to live with certain health conditions. The immersive technology provides a unique learning experience that allows caregivers to experience life from the perspective of someone in need of caregiving.

LifePod Solutions, Inc (Boston): LifePod is a proactive voice caregiving service that monitors and supports older adults in their homes and provides real-time alerts, daily reports and peace of mind to caregivers. Through the use of a smart speaker, LifePod can be set up and controlled by a remote caregiver using an intuitive, online portal to configure and schedule check-ins, reminders and virtual companionship.

TCARE, Inc (St. Louis): The evidence-based IT software system is designed to delay nursing home placement, reduce caregiver burnout and help family caregivers keep their loved ones at home longer. Through a cloud-based management system, TCare provides care planning tools, assessments, community resource links and decision-making software to support informal caregivers and help reduce caregiving stress.

These amazing teams successfully completed the competition’s “testing phase” and will now proceed to the three month “validation phase” where they will work with GuideWell to conduct external market testing or validation of their approaches. Participants that successfully demonstrate the capability to scale their solution with a large population of caregivers will be awarded an additional $50,000 and up to two finalists may have the opportunity to pilot their solution with GuideWell.

Congratulations to the GuideWell Caring for Caregivers Challenge finalists and best of luck as you continue with the competition!

Announcing GuideWell's Caring for Caregivers Challenge

Caregivers who  care for aging, ill and disabled adult family members face a broad array of challenges within their daily lives. These challenges include stress, burnout, financial burdens, career sacrifices, sleep deprivation, depression, isolation, and lack of privacy. GuideWell believes it “takes a village” to sustainably support family caregivers, and that single point solutions are typically not broad enough to provide comprehensive relief to family caregivers.

GuideWell, in collaboration with Catalyst @ Health 2.0, is excited to announce the Caring for Caregivers Challenge -- a Health Innovation Challenge that seeks companies or non-profits with programs, platforms, technology systems or services that have the potential to eliminate critical challenges family caregivers face. Comprehensive approaches should connect caregivers to resources, technologies, corporate benefits, and community networks to help them with their unique personal health and wellness needs. Approaches should serve:

1. Family caregivers caring for family members over the age of 65

2. Family caregivers caring for partners or adult children under the age of 65 who  are mentally disabled, permanently homebound due to a physical disability, terminally ill or who suffer from Alzheimer’s, congestive heart & pulmonary disease, cancer, and/or stroke.

The Caring for Caregivers Challenge is open to for-profit and non-profit organizations that earned a minimum of $250,000 in 2018 revenues. Applicants must be able to demonstrate their ability to develop and sustainably deploy innovative, scalable approaches that support the mental, social and economic health of family caregivers and improve their ability to care for loved ones.

In order to increase the scope and scale of support resources for family caregivers, applicants may consist of a team of diverse organizations that come together to jointly develop novel, scalable approaches. Team-based applicants must include at least two established corporate/non-profit entities on a team that jointly earned a minimum of $500,000 in 2018 revenues.

Key Benefits for Participants

●     Potential to win up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding to further expand your solution

●     Ability to form strategic partnerships that result in a comprehensive approach that addresses multiple facets of family-based caregiving

●     Opportunity to pilot your solution in partnership with GuideWell

●     Access to mentors and subject matter experts in the health care industry

●     No cost or equity requirements to participate (other than travel to program activities)

●     Opportunity for potential industry PR and exposure in print, TV and digital marketing outlets

Applications are open! To learn more and apply, see: https://guidewellinnovation.com/health-innovation-challenge/