The CareWorks Project

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The CareWorks Project

Care, reimagined.

The CareWorks Project is an advisory and innovation studio helping organizations modernize long-term care through research, strategy, storytelling, and innovation.

09/02/2026

Chosen family is the people who provide care, support, and belonging regardless of biological or legal relationships.

For many older adults, LGBTQ+ individuals, people aging alone, and countless others, chosen family is not a substitute for family—it's family. These are the friends who show up after surgery, drive us to appointments, bring meals, celebrate milestones, and sit quietly beside us during life's hardest moments. They may not share our last name, but they often know us better than anyone.

Recognizing chosen family reminds us that care has never been defined solely by blood or marriage. Some of the strongest caregiving relationships are built through love, trust, and a commitment to simply be there for one another.

08/31/2026

Who provides care is changing.

A recent Fast Company article explores the growing number of fathers who have become primary caregivers, often while working unconventional schedules or reshaping their careers around family responsibilities.

The story reflects a broader shift in American caregiving. Family care is no longer defined by traditional roles. More men are stepping into responsibilities that have historically and unfairly fallen to women, and many are discovering both the rewards and the challenges that come with balancing work and care.

As our population ages and care needs continue to grow, long-term care policy must recognize the diversity of today's caregivers. Workplace flexibility, paid leave, and stronger care supports benefit fathers, mothers, grandparents, and anyone who finds themselves caring for a loved one.

At The CareWorks Project, we believe care policy should reflect how people actually live. Understanding who today's caregivers are is an essential step toward building a more responsive and inclusive long-term care system.

Read more:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91561919/more-fathers-are-becoming-the-primary-caregiver

08/26/2026

Empathy overload is emotional exhaustion that comes from absorbing too much of another person's pain, fear, or suffering.

It can affect family caregivers, direct care workers, nurses, social workers, clinicians, and anyone who spends long periods supporting others through illness or crisis. You want to stay present, compassionate, and strong, but over time you begin carrying not only your own worries but someone else's as well. Eventually, that emotional weight can become difficult to put down.

Recognizing empathy overload reminds us that caring deeply is one of our greatest strengths—but no one is meant to carry another person's suffering alone. Supporting caregivers means helping them replenish the empathy they give so freely to others.

08/24/2026

The "sandwich generation" has become one of the defining caregiving stories of our time.

A thoughtful article in The Cut explores the realities facing adults who are simultaneously raising children, supporting aging parents, building careers, and trying to maintain their own well-being.

These experiences are becoming increasingly common as Americans live longer, families have children later in life, and navigating long-term care grows more complex.

The effects reach far beyond individual households. Caregiving responsibilities influence workforce participation, retirement planning, financial security, mental health, and demand for long-term services and supports.

At The CareWorks Project, we believe stronger long-term care systems begin with understanding how people actually experience care. When policy reflects lived experience, families have a better chance to thrive.

Read more:
https://www.thecut.com/article/sandwich-generation-taking-care-kids-and-aging-parents.html

08/19/2026

Decision fatigue is mental exhaustion caused by having to make too many decisions over an extended period of time.

It is common among caregivers navigating medications, medical appointments, finances, services, family dynamics, and countless unexpected challenges. Every day brings another question: Should we call the doctor? Is it time for more help? Can we afford it? Am I making the right decision? Over time, even small choices can begin to feel overwhelming.

Recognizing decision fatigue reminds us that caregiving isn't just physically and emotionally demanding—it's mentally demanding, too. Sometimes the hardest part isn't making one big decision. It's carrying the weight of hundreds of them, day after day.

08/18/2026

Only a few days remain to help us ensure that an important conversation about AI and the future of home care takes place at SXSW 2027.

At The CareWorks Project, we study how AI is changing home care and the direct care workforce, including in our A New Era of Care report series. Bringing leaders together to discuss what these changes mean and who shapes them is at the heart of our mission. Read them here: https://acl.gov/DCWcenter/AI

That’s why we’re excited that our founder and CEO, Robert Espinoza, could join Syard Evans, Alesia Frerichs, and Nicole Howell for the proposed SXSW session:

Will AI Change How We Care for the People We Love?

Voting closes on Sunday, August 23. You’ll need a free SXSW account, and voting only takes a few minutes. We’d really appreciate your support.

You can vote here: https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-sxsw/page/community-voting/session/1784640606520001nNFW

Please vote and share this with others!

08/17/2026

More Americans are returning to work after retirement, reflecting the growing financial pressures many older adults face.

A recent New York Times article examines how rising costs, economic uncertainty, and longer life expectancy are reshaping what retirement looks like for millions of Americans.

These trends also have important implications for long-term care. Financial insecurity affects when people retire, how they prepare for future care needs, and whether families have the resources to provide care when it becomes necessary.

Retirement policy, workforce policy, healthcare, and long-term care are increasingly interconnected. Understanding those relationships will become even more important as the nation's population continues to age.

At The CareWorks Project, we believe the future of long-term care depends on helping people navigate not only longer lives, but the financial, caregiving, and policy challenges that come with them.

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/business/retirees-back-to-work-money.html

08/12/2026

Hypervigilance is a constant state of alertness, worry, and anticipation of what might go wrong.

It is common among caregivers who rarely feel fully off duty. You may find yourself sleeping lightly so you'll hear a loved one call out, checking your phone every few minutes when you're away, or feeling unable to relax because you're always anticipating the next fall, medical emergency, or unexpected phone call. Even in moments of calm, your mind stays on guard.

Hypervigilance reminds us that caregiving doesn't always end when the task is over. For many caregivers, the greatest burden is carrying a constant sense of responsibility that follows them wherever they go.

08/11/2026

When we think about privacy, we often focus on emails, medical records, or text messages. But what about our private thoughts?

A recent event—the release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's diary entries before a Senate hearing—raises a much larger question than politics: Should our diaries remain private after we die? If there are exceptions, what makes those cases different?

In a new essay, The CareWorks Project Founder and CEO Robert Espinoza explores why diaries deserve special protection, the rare circumstances in which disclosure may serve the public interest, and what this debate reveals about dignity, trust, and the ethics of care.

As more of our inner lives are recorded through digital journals, AI companions, and other technologies, he argues that protecting a person's private reflections may become just as important as protecting their medical records.

For long-term care providers, technology innovators, and policymakers, this isn't an abstract ethical question. It's a practical one. If we believe care extends beyond the body to the whole person, then safeguarding someone's inner life should be part of that responsibility.

Where do you think the boundary should be?

Read Robert's essay at the link in the comments.

08/10/2026

What happens when one of the most human things we do, caring for one another, meets AI? We need your vote to help get this conversation to SXSW!

Our Founder and CEO, Robert Espinoza, is excited to join Nicole Howell (National Council on Aging), Syard Evans (Arkansas Support Network), and Alesia Frerichs (Lutheran Services in America) for our proposed SXSW session, “Will AI Change How We Care for the People We Love?”

Together, we’ll explore the opportunities, risks, and big questions surrounding AI and the future of caregiving.

But first, we need your help getting there. Please vote for our session through SXSW PanelPicker, and share it with your networks.

🗳️ Vote here: https://lnkd.in/eWpV7HUn

Voting closes August 23. Every vote and share helps us bring caregiving into the broader conversation about the future of AI.

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https://www.careworksproject.co/, https://careactually.substack.com/

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