Caregiver app Tendercare
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When the news broke about the deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, my stomach dropped. It’s a deeply tragic story in and of itself, but as more and more information was released to the public, there was one thing no one seemed to be talking about: This situation is every family caregiver’s nightmare come to life.
Hackman, 95, and reportedly diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer’s, was found dead in his Santa Fe home seven days after Arakawa’s unexpected passing. The official cause was heart failure, but the reality is much more heartbreaking — he likely died because the person keeping him safe was suddenly no longer there.
Authorities suspect he may not have even understood Arakawa was gone, leaving him alone without essential care, medication, or even basic necessities for at least a week.
Shauna Sweeney is the founder and CEO of tendercare, an AI-powered platform that helps families care smarter for aging loved ones. After her father’s early-onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2014, Shauna experienced firsthand the challenges of managing his care from 3,500 miles away while working as a tech executive at Meta. This inspired her to create tendercare, which provides personalized care plans, a trusted services marketplace, emergency preparedness, and intelligent recommendations to answer crucial care questions like “What should I do?” and “Who can I trust for help?” Before launching tendercare, Shauna was an executive at Meta, and led a 3,000-member employee resource group focused on supporting aging parents.
This isn’t just a devastating celebrity story. The truth is, this could happen to anyone currently caring for a loved one’s basic needs. This is especially true for my family.
I haven't checked out the app yet but definitely will when I have a chance. Sounds like a good thing, at least in theory.
edit: Only for iPhone, so I'm out of luck.
