It started with care in my own family
When my wife's grandmother reached out, my wife would go check on her and help with whatever was needed.
Of course, the person at the center of the caregiving was her mother. She was the one supporting the hardest parts of daily care, and I watched that closely.
My wife was involved with the feeling that she wanted to do what she could as a grandchild.
"She has taken care of me for so long. I want to do what I can for her now."
"I want to help in the time I have, in the ways I can."
I think it came from a very natural place.
Kindness and responsibility can quietly become heavy
At the same time, because that kindness and sense of responsibility were strong, it sometimes looked like she was pushing herself a little too hard.
Answer the phone when it rings. Move when something is needed. Keep the situation in mind.
Those small things build up little by little, and before you notice it, the time spent staying alert starts to grow.
But it can feel hard to call that burden "hard." You do not want to make it sound too heavy in front of family. Because you are doing it by choice, you end up carrying it yourself.
Not showing off, just sharing naturally
One feeling that stayed with me was this: "I do not want to make a point of showing everyone what I did."
But things like "Here is what is happening now" and "I took care of this" are easier when they can be shared naturally within the family.
It is less about wanting praise and more about wanting the reassurance that everyone understands the situation.
In our family, too, her mother was at the center of caregiving, and each family member helped in the ways they could. But it was surprisingly hard to share who had done what and what the current situation was.
"How did the medicine go?" "How was she today?" "When is the next appointment?"
Questions like these came up all the time.
That is why I thought that if there were a way to share things more naturally and more easily, the feelings of people involved in care might become a little lighter.
I also wanted a place to let feelings out
Some people involved in caregiving are doing their best while carrying a lot alone.
In those moments, having somewhere to let out feelings, or somewhere to ask people in similar situations, might bring even a little reassurance.
That is why I wanted to create a place for consultation inside the app as well.
More moments of feeling a little lighter
Every family's caregiving situation is different. I do not think this app will help every person in exactly the same way.
Even so, I keep developing Carez because I hope it can increase the number of moments when someone who feels burdened or anxious in caregiving can think, "This feels a little easier" or "I feel a little more reassured."
Carez is not an app for making caregiving perfect.
Carez is not an app for making caregiving perfect.
My hope is that small moments of sharing, such as "I took care of it," "I saw it," and "Thank you," can help ease the burden, even a little, for people involved in caregiving.
