Caregiver Check-Ins and Family Connection With Chad Hensle
September 11, 2026
Keeping a family informed can become a caregiving task of its own. You check in with a loved one, pass along an update, answer a relative's question, and repeat the process the next day.
In episode 153 of A Time to Care: The Caregivers Podcast, Isabel Melgarejo talks with Chad Hensle, founder of Juta, about a text-based approach to staying connected. The conversation explores how a problem in Chad's own family led him to build an AI-powered check-in service for aging parents and other loved ones.
Watch Isabel's conversation with Chad Hensle
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH95Q2mLZ7I[/embed]Episode 153 · Released September 11, 2026
A family communication problem came first
Chad describes the difficulty his family experienced while trying to stay connected during his aunt's dementia journey. A busy uncle and a complicated chain of updates made communication harder than it needed to be.
That experience shaped the problem he wanted to address: helping family members stay informed without making one person responsible for relaying every message. The episode focuses on that everyday strain, alongside the work of developing a tool intended to reduce it.
Why Juta uses text messages
In the interview, Chad describes Juta as a service that sends three check-in texts a day and turns the replies into a daily recap for family members. The approach uses text messages rather than asking the person receiving the check-ins to learn a new app.
Isabel and Chad discuss why that choice matters. A tool can be difficult to use even when its intended purpose is helpful. The conversation explores making contact feel familiar and reducing the extra steps that technology sometimes introduces.
Keeping the human relationship at the center
Chad describes the service as a prompt for connection rather than a replacement for it. The episode also covers the caregiver dashboard, response patterns, and mood scoring as features discussed by its founder.
For families considering technology, the interview provides a useful question: does this help us stay present with one another, or does it add another thing to manage? The answer will depend on the person receiving support, the family's needs, and how the tool fits into existing relationships.
What caregivers can take from the conversation
You do not have to be looking for a new service to recognize the communication challenge behind this episode. Many families need a clearer way to exchange updates and agree on who follows up.
After watching, consider these questions with your family:
- Where do updates currently get lost or repeated?
- Does one person carry most of the communication work?
- What kind of check-in feels comfortable to the person receiving it?
- How could a shared routine make staying connected easier?
These questions can help identify the need before choosing any tool. The episode presents Chad's account of Juta and its development, rather than an independent evaluation of the service's performance.
About Chad Hensle
Chad Hensle is the founder of Juta, an AI-powered check-in service developed in response to a family caregiving need. In this conversation, he shares the personal experience behind the product and the thinking that shaped its design.
Connect with Chad on LinkedIn or listen to the audio episode. For related reading, explore How Technology and AI Can Help Family Caregivers Safely.
Find support for the work your family carries
Time to Care offers family caregivers practical guidance and a community where they can talk about the daily responsibilities that often go unseen.