CareHaven
AI-powered platform revolutionizing caregiving for elderly, disabled individuals, and children with special needs.
The Problem Space: Challenges in Caregiving
The caregiving industry faces persistent challenges. Staff shortages force hiring underqualified caregivers, leading to medication mismanagement and inadequate patient care. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, disabled individuals, and children with special needs, often experience stigmatization, leading to social isolation and diminished quality of life. While some solutions address fragments of these issues, the market lacks a comprehensive AI-driven platform that seamlessly integrates all aspects of caregiving.
The Problem Statement
"How might we improve the quality of care and support for elderly individuals, disabled people, and children with special needs by leveraging AI to enhance caregiving experiences and address stigmatization, medication mismanagement, and caregiver training gaps?"
Understanding the Problem: Background and Research
Caregiving companies across the US, UK, and Canada grapple with maintaining high-quality care due to workforce shortages and resource limitations. The consequences of these challenges can be dire—cases of medication mismanagement have led to tragic outcomes, such as the Pennsylvania caretaker charged with involuntary manslaughter for failing to renew a patient's prescription and a Tennessee nurse convicted of homicide due to a fatal medication error. Beyond logistical difficulties, stigmatization and isolation further erode the well-being of those in need.
Key Research Insights
To better understand the caregiving landscape, we conducted in-depth interviews with caregivers, elderly individuals, disabled people, and parents of special needs children. Several key pain points emerged:
- Caregivers lack proper training, particularly in medication management.
- Fragmented applications create inefficiencies in care delivery.
- Vulnerable individuals experience stigmatization and social isolation.
- Emergency situations demand immediate guidance, which is often unavailable.
- Medication errors have serious consequences, sometimes leading to fatal outcomes.
Supporting Data
- 85% of caregiving companies report difficulty in hiring qualified staff.
- Medication errors have led to documented cases of involuntary manslaughter.
- Existing solutions like BoundaryCare and CircleOf only address specific caregiving challenges.
- 73% of caregivers express a need for better training and real-time support.
A caregiver's comment during research highlighted the urgent need for a better solution: "I'm constantly juggling multiple apps while trying to provide personalized care. When emergencies happen, I need immediate guidance, not another system to navigate."
STATS LINKS AND SOURCES
Caregiver Burden & Shortage Statistics - https://www.phinational.org/resource/direct-care-workers-in-the-united-states-key-facts/
Medication Management Challenges - https://qualitysafety.bmj.com/content/25/11/893
Social Isolation & Stigmatization - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1936657419301049
Designing the Solution: CareHaven’s AI-Powered Features
CareHaven was designed to address these critical challenges through an AI-driven, all-in-one caregiving platform. Our core features include:
- Real-Time AI Chatbot: Provides instant, medically-informed advice during emergencies.
- Automated Medication Management: Tracks prescriptions, schedules reminders, and alerts caregivers about low supplies.
- Community Building: Creates a support network for users to reduce social isolation.
- AI-Driven Caregiver Training: Offers personalized training modules tailored to individual needs.
- Holistic Care Recommendations: Suggests meal plans and wellness routines based on user health conditions.
User-Centric Design
Our prototype was refined based on user feedback to ensure a seamless experience across multiple stakeholders:
- For Caregiving Companies: AI-powered training, medication tracking, and emergency support tools.
- For Caregivers: Real-time guidance, automated medication tracking, and educational resources.
- For Care Recipients: Community support, reduced stigmatization, and enhanced safety measures.
This integrated approach eliminates the inefficiencies of juggling multiple applications and creates a centralized platform for better caregiving.
User Flows & Visuals
Our AI chatbot serves as an always-available virtual assistant, offering immediate guidance in critical situations.
The medication management feature ensures caregivers and patients never miss a dose, reducing the risk of serious health complications.
Future Roadmap: Expanding CareHaven’s Capabilities
Through continuous user engagement, we identified additional opportunities for growth:
- Integration with existing healthcare systems to enhance adoption by caregiving companies.
- Enhanced community features to foster peer support and knowledge sharing.
- AI-powered health monitoring through wearable technology to provide real-time data and alerts.
Potential next steps include expanding specialized modules for different health conditions and creating a marketplace for vetted caregiving services.
Lessons Learnt in Co.Lab: A Transformative Journey
The Power of Storytelling in Product Management
My background in media provided unexpected yet crucial advantages in product management. Crafting compelling narratives helped translate complex user pain points into actionable insights, making data-driven decisions feel personal and impactful.
The Intersection of Technology and Humanity
CareHaven is more than just an app—it’s a potential lifeline for individuals who depend on reliable caregiving. Seeing firsthand how technology can address deeply human problems reinforced my belief in a user-centered approach. This experience underscored that product management is not just about building features; it’s about creating solutions that make people’s lives easier, safer, and more connected.
Effective Collaboration Across Time Zones
Working across multiple time zones required disciplined communication and structured workflows. Despite the challenges, I never missed a session, valuing every opportunity to learn from peers and industry experts. As well as helping me understand the importance of stakeholders management thanks to Co.lab.
Emotional Intelligence in Product Management
Beyond the technical aspects of product development, this journey emphasized the importance of emotional intelligence. Understanding user behavior and empathizing with their struggles led to more effective problem-solving. This holistic perspective—considering both functional needs and emotional experiences—now informs my approach to building impactful products.
Conclusion: Driving Meaningful Change with CareHaven
CareHaven is more than a project; it’s a step towards revolutionizing caregiving through AI. By addressing critical gaps in caregiver training, medication management, and social support, we are making caregiving more efficient and compassionate. This journey from media to tech has reinforced my belief that at the heart of every great product is a compelling story—and CareHaven’s story is just beginning.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Tayelolu Akinbohun
I’m incredibly grateful to Co.lab for giving me the opportunity to learn, grow, and unleash this passion for building AI-powered solutions that truly impact lives. Without Co.lab, I wouldn’t have had the chance to turn my deep care for people into tangible, tech-driven innovations. The journey has been transformative—I’ve gone from a curious learner to someone who can sit among AI experts and contribute meaningfully. This is just the beginning, and I’m excited for what’s ahead!
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.