Until fairly recently, death and dying were subjects usually hidden from view. But the digital age has opened up new possibilities for end-of-life organization, from figuring out advance directives, hospice decisions and funeral arrangements to contacting financial institutions and gathering documentation.
One such possibility is a tech startup called Grace, which connects people to end-of-life information and services online. It’s the brainchild of Alex Kruger and Annie Luchsinger, and is currently in testing mode at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles.
The business model now requires providers to pay to be listed after a screening process conducted by the Grace team. Kruger and Luchsinger want to keep Grace free to families and build on their directory of providers with a suite of online tools to help patients and families navigate what needs to be done, from one central resource.
“The more we talk to families, the better our product can become,” said Kruger. “Grace is the intersection of solutions, a triage system if you like, from connecting with quality hospice or senior care providers, to an after-death checklist. Our goal is to be the catalyst for solutions no matter what point you are at when making difficult life-stage decisions.”
Right now, the majority of traffic comes from desktops, as families gather around to use Grace as a starting point for tough conversations. The future might get more mobile as individuals take control of their own plans ahead of time.
Grace got its start on the East Coast under a different name, Attendant.
“Two things happened around the same time: I was working in another business and a friend mentioned the problems inherent in the end-of-life space. Then my great-uncle died,” Kruger told PCMag. “I didn’t have a good understanding of what it takes to sort out everything from closing out accounts, talking to providers,…