Yohocare

When I moved to the United States in 2008, I was starting over in almost every sense. I didn’t have a car, a job, or much of a social support network. It was an isolating time, and one of the people who made that transition easier was my landlord, Judy.

Judy did much more than rent me a place to live. She showed me around the neighborhood, helped me understand my new surroundings, and offered support at a time when I needed it most. In a place that still felt unfamiliar, her kindness helped me feel a little more at home.

Over time, though, I began to notice small changes. Judy would forget things or become confused in ways that seemed different from before. At first, I didn’t fully understand what I was seeing. Eventually, I learned that she had Alzheimer’s disease.

Watching someone who had once helped me find my footing begin to lose some of her own changed the way I thought about aging and brain health. I found myself wondering what happens before a diagnosis, during the period when subtle changes may already be appearing, but neither the person nor the people around them necessarily understand what they mean.

That experience stayed with me. It made me ask whether there might be ways to help people recognize changes earlier, understand what may be happening, and give families more time to have conversations, seek appropriate support, and prepare for what comes next.

Years later, Alzheimer’s became part of my family’s story as well when my husband’s father was diagnosed. The questions I had first encountered through Judy suddenly became personal in another way. I began thinking more deeply about what families need when facing cognitive decline and about whether technology, research, and better access to information could make that experience a little less uncertain. Those experiences became part of the reason I started Yohocare.

Healthy aging is about more than medical care. It is shaped by the everyday habits we build, the support we receive from family and community, and whether people feel connected, included, and understood. Many individuals and families face challenges such as maintaining healthy routines, supporting aging loved ones, social isolation, cultural and language barriers, limited access to resources, and a lack of meaningful community connection. These challenges often overlap, making healthy aging not just a healthcare issue, but a human and social one.

Daily routines, social connection, and the ways people engage with their own wellbeing can matter just as much as the tools available to them. That has pushed me to think beyond healthcare settings and toward support that fits naturally into everyday life.

Our early feasibility work explored user interest, digital engagement, and technical direction before moving further into product development. It reminded me to start with behavior and experience first, then decide where technology can genuinely help.

My research and product work continue to reinforce the value of human-centered design: understanding what people need, testing assumptions, and adapting the experience around real behaviors rather than adding technology for its own sake.