ARCHANGELS, a women-owned, Massachusetts-based company, was cofounded by CEO Alexandra Drane in 2017 with the goal to make change happen for unpaid caregivers across the nation. Through an omnichannel data-driven engagement platform, ARCHANGELS first helps people understand that what they are doing is care, using their tool, the Caregiver Intensity IndexTM (CII). This two-and-a-half-minute quiz results in an “intensity score” and puts caregivers in categories of green, yellow, or red based on their unique caregiving reality. The CII also identifies the caregiver’s “drivers” of caregiver intensity, as well as the top two things that may be buffering that intensity—things like support from family and feeling purpose in caregiving. Caregivers can also connect to free resources available in their area. Knowing one’s intensity score can validate an individual’s experience with caregiving, even for those who do not see themselves in the role. ARCHANGELS created a link for the INELDA community to check their own personal score.
Accessible through the organization’s website, this easy-to-use platform is an important actualization tool for individuals in the position of delivering care. ARCHANGELS is quick to point out that many of us are unpaid caregivers, a role that can have adverse mental health impacts. According to a 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 43% of adults in the United States find themselves in the caregiver role, and 70% of caregivers report at least one adverse mental health symptom (such as anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and/or COVID-19-induced stress and trauma). This number increases to 80% for those caregivers who identify as Black. According to another 2021 CDC report in partnership with ARCHANGELS, COVID added additional levels of intensity to the mental health of unpaid caregivers.
The face of the caregiver in the United States has also changed: 1 in 4 caregivers are millennials, 1 in 5 are Generation Z, and 23% are within the sandwich generation (caring for individuals under 18 and over 18 at the same time). Within this last cohort, 52% have had suicidal thoughts in the last 30 days. This tool not only validates the caregiver experience, but crosswalks users to often underutilized resources at the state and local level.
ARCHANGELS works with states, employers, and health care providers and payers to create impact for the caregivers in their communities. These entities leverage population-level data and analytics to create data-informed action, policy, and advocacy to change caregivers’ lives for the better. The tool can be utilized by end-of-life doulas and others delivering support to caregivers and loved ones by bringing self-awareness to their intensity level and encouraging the use of the recommended services within the results.