The Holding Co.

We are so excited to see the launch of CaringBridge's beautiful new identity, which we were honored to work on with them. We think of CaringBridge as sort of the best kept secret in plain sight when it comes to the world of caregiving. They've been faithfully serving caregivers and their loved ones for 27 years, giving them a place to share their health journeys, ask for help, and feel the love. More than 1 million CaringBridge pages have been created since 1997 and over 1600 messages are exchanged on the platform every single hour! Those impressive numbers are surely about to scale even further with this new look and feel, which tells an even clearer story about what this company has done for nearly three decades in the caregiving space. Congrats CaringBridge! We can't wait to follow what happens next. https://lnkd.in/geJyh7k

"When caregivers have access to better solutions, our society will be more equitable, our businesses will be more competitive, and our economy will be stronger." That's the central premise of this fantastic new round-up from our partner, Pivotal Ventures, called The Data-driven Case for Care. We're honored to see our work documenting the care market opportunity ($648B!) featured, but even more thrilled to learn about so many other organizations, solutions, and policy positions that the vast majority of Americans are behind as we head into this election season. If this isn't the case for prioritizing care in this country, we don't know what is. https://lnkd.in/gg-jhW58

At The Holding Co, we're following this new collaborative journalistic series with great interest. "Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis," is a collaboration between Grist, Vox, and The 19th that investigates how climate change impacts reproductive health — from menstruation to conception to birth. The first in the series in on how heat waves are making pregnancy more dangerous and exacerbating existing maternal health disparities. There is a lot of talk about how rising temperatures are bad for our elders, but we need to start acknowledging that the same is true for pregnant women, particularly women of color who already experience more adverse impacts during pregnancy and childbirth. Chandni Singh, a climate researcher at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, said something particularly poignant in the piece: “There seems to be this myth of endless adaptation." In other words, those least likely to contribute to #ClimateChange are those most powerfully impacted, and we can't just keep counting on them to adapt as temperatures rise. We need to continue to research these perilous intersections and design real interventions — both climate-related and in terms of our #care system — in order to save lives. https://lnkd.in/g_9qprJv

Rock Health.org is accepting applications for the fourth cohort of their Innovation Fellowship! The Innovation Fellowship is a cohort-based experience that supports and amplifies the work of visionary leaders who are centering lived experience in digital health innovation. Learn more and apply by June 20 at 11:59pm PT: https://lnkd.in/dyzmrbBm 

Thanks Jennifer Stybel and Pivotal Ventures! It's an honor to be part of the transformative journey in the #CareEconomy alongside such passionate and talented founders and investors. A huge thank you to Magnify Ventures for your vision and execution of #TheCareSummit. We are just getting started!!

This is such an important piece about the way we make the already challenging lives of disabled elders even harder by forcing them to navigate two broken systems that aren't integrated — Medicaid and Medicare. Best part is that there are solutions already being formed via new policy proposals and this great call for a human-centered redesign: "Design integrated coverage by first placing the experiences of the individuals who use these plans at the center and including all the services — medical and non-medical supports — that are needed to thrive. A consumer-informed approach is sorely lacking currently." We couldn't agree more. It's beyond time to integrate the Medicaid and Medicare systems and honor our elders with a dignifying experience. https://lnkd.in/e6TcZXfW

We love this piece by PolicyLink CEO Dr. Michael McAfee, which, in part, reads: "To change peoples’ material reality, however, means rehauling the entire operating system of our democracy, not just tinkering with its policies. We need to be much more aspirational and long-term in our thinking. We need to reimagine our laws, regulations, customs, and institutions. This founders’ orientation is not just idealistic thinking. It won’t be easy. But in neighborhoods across this country, every day, people are already planting the seeds to grow this alternative vision." It has us brainstorming big time: if we were thinking of ourselves as founders of this democracy, how would #care be reflected in our public institutions and policies? If the best of human-centered design tools were brought to bear on a new "operating system for democracy," as Michael puts it, what could we create? These are big, generational questions, but we love the invitation to ask them. If our work at The Holding Co. tells us anything, it's that we have to re-ignite regular people's expectations for functionality and beauty for their real everyday lives. American caregivers—whether helping their elders weather the inevitable setbacks of aging, their children grow and explore, or their disabled friends and neighbors thrive—deserve better, which is to say, America deserves better. https://lnkd.in/gHnmpTuW

We were excited to see the launch of #CareGuild member #SerenaWilliams' and journalist Elaine Welteroth's Birth Fund last week. These two powerhouse women and their families have teamed up to create a way for more families to access midwifery services. In Elaine's words on Instagram: "We match individual funders with families in need of quality midwifery care and birth support across the country through an 'each one reach one' community care model." Thankfully there is growing public awareness about the disparate dangers birthing people face. CDC data show that Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. Most of these maternal deaths are preventable. In fact, according to a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research, the wealthiest Black woman in California is at a higher risk of #MaternalMortality than the least wealthy white woman. Systemic and cultural change are key to turning the tides on these harrowing statistics. In the meantime, it's great to see resourced parents looking to make better care accessible for more people now. https://lnkd.in/gDieEVtz

We were thrilled to host Dr. Jean C. Accius, PhD, NACD.DC and Dr. Susan Golden this week as part of our Care Guild in Conversation series. We couldn't have asked for two better experts on the intersection of ageism and care, and what a timely topic! It feels like #ageism is finally having a moment in the headlines thanks/no thanks to the presidential election. Perhaps it’s a moment to seize–to broaden and deepen people’s understanding about why ageism is so important. The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to increase from 58 million in 2022 to 82 million by 2050 (a 47% increase), and the 65-and-older age group's share of the total population is projected to rise from 17% to 23%. The U.S population is older today than it has ever been. Meanwhile, this booming population is deeply underserved in every sector at a time when we really need reinvention and representation. A whopping 93% of older adults report experiencing ageism. There is internalized ageism, interpersonal ageism, and, of course, systemic ageism. Dr. Accius reminded us of, not just the moral argument, but the economic argument for fighting ageism: bias against older workers cost the U.S. economy an estimated $850 billion in GDP in 2018, according to a report from AARP and the Economist Intelligence Unit. Dr. Golden encouraged us to think about stage, not age, as we reimagine what kinds of #innovation is possible right now, and spoke about the vitality of the entrepreneurial response, as well as an uptick in venture capitalists interested in the care space. #Intergenerational housing, multi-generational workforces, and the promise of care navigation were all points of excitement and connection as well. At The Holding Co, we are honored to be working on the first public long-term care insurance program, WACares, and continue to hold designing alongside and in dialogue with folks of every age and stage a top priority (and joy!) of our work. We are so grateful for the wisdom gleaned from these #CareGuild in Conversation events. Join us for the next one!

Join us for our next Care Guild in Conversation on Tuesday, April 16 at 9am PT / 12pm ET to hear from Susan Golden, Care Guild honoree and author of Stage (Not Age): How to Understand and Serve People Over 60 – the Fastest Growing, Most Dynamic Market in the World, and Jean C. Accius, PhD, NACD.DC, current President and CEO of CHC: Creating Healthier Communities and former Senior VP at AARP. As age is a hot topic at the moment, we're excited to dive in with Susan and Jean to hear their perspectives on the 60+ years and this powerful demographic. As always, this conversation will be moderated by The Holding Co.'s storyteller-in-residence, Courtney Martin. #CareGuild in Conversation is open to the public (anyone who cares about care, which is everyone!), so feel free to spread the word to your colleagues, networks, etc. Folks can RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/gqf8-v4W.