2021 reflections and caregiving predictions for 2022

As I reflect on 2021, I feel a sense of gratitude. These past two years tested our team, model, and resolve... Here at Wellthy, we were on the frontlines supporting families as they struggled through stress, exhaustion, and burn out. We held families’ hands (virtually) through death, horrific diagnoses, hardship, and crippling uncertainty. And, we proved, with total conviction, that caregivers and families are worthy of, deserving of, and desperately in need of help.

Wellthy was able to have impact thanks to our phenomenal team, both our newly joined and original team members. Additionally, we owe thanks to the forward-looking executives who believe that caregiving employees deserve the chance to bring their best selves to work, as well as to our Board of Directors, Board Observers, our Advisors, partners, and close friends.

Wellthy stats (as of 1/1/22):

• 1.1 million covered lives
• 119 clients, representing hundreds of businesses
• 24 Fortune 500 clients
• 6 countries where Wellthy provides support
• Almost 300 talented Wellthy team members
• 81 NPS

We have so much to be proud of and we still have so much work to do. Caregivers are in crisis and families are one calamity away from total collapse. Some predictions (and wishful thinking) for 2022:

1. Reduced stigma: I’d love to see the caregiving crisis get widespread attention and urgency. And I’d love to see family caregivers feel more comfortable speaking out and sharing their stories.
   
   
2. Healthcare partnership: I’d love to see providers and payers begin to see family caregivers as trusted partners to help improve outcomes and reduce costs. I predict we’ll see health plans (commercial and Medicare Advantage) rolling out caregiver support programs.
   
   
3. A DEI imperative: I bet we’ll see caregiving and DEI become inextricably linked as employers seek to attract/retain women, minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
   
   
4. Mental health: we'll see more attention paid to both treating mental health as well as addressing root causes of mental health issues including social determinants, financial hardship, caregiver burnout, etc.

At Wellthy, our hope for 2022 is that nobody should have to choose between taking exceptional care of their family and staying in their careers. We need infrastructure, options, and financial aid for families to have high-quality and affordable care. The crisis will worsen with our shifting demographics and lengthening lifespans. Wellthy alone can’t solve it all. We need talent working to solve these problems, we need executives fighting for the cause, and we need entrepreneurs building new models and more capacity.