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Published by Hospice News on May 16, 2025
Hospice News: I’m pleased to introduce our panel. We’re going to be talking about the unsung heroes of home-based care: the caregivers at home. Without them, of course, a lot of the services you all provide would not be possible. So this is an important topic. I’m pleased to introduce Cara McCarty Abbott, Founder and CEO of Betterleave; Lloyd Wilson, CEO of Sonder Hospice & Palliative Care; and Sara Nigro, Vice President of Partnerships at BetterRX. Thanks to each of you for being here.
When we talk about end-of-life care, the focus is usually on the patient, as it should be. But the experience of the family caregiver can have just as much impact on outcomes. What are some of the hidden costs—emotional and financial—of under-supporting family caregivers at the end of life? Cara, would you begin?
Cara McCarty Abbott: Yes, absolutely. As a technology partner, it’s our mission at Betterleave to enhance and build that human connection between your clinicians, your staff, and the family members of your patient. Typically, what we see is that family members want to be involved—they want to be engaged—but sometimes they don’t necessarily know how. You might have a patient in assisted living or a nursing home, and the family member isn’t there during your visit. That might be the one experience where they say, “Oh, man, I wish I had been there. I wish I had known. I wish I knew what the recap was.”
Maybe your clinician calls and leaves a voicemail, but they don’t actually get to connect. That’s just one example of a hidden cost you might not realize is happening in real time. You don’t have insight into that—where Betterleave can come in as a text-based communication platform and bridge that gap. We can let them know, “Hey, this week a clinician is going to visit Mom. If you want to be there, here’s the time.” Or, “Here’s a recap from the visit. Do you have any questions?”
Really, think of us at Betterleave as that wraparound support. From a hidden cost perspective, you may or may not know the family member’s experience or satisfaction. That’s definitely a hidden cost.
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