A Year of Voice, Community, and Navigating Caregiving: Our 2025 Compass Recap

In 2025, SimpliHere’s blog – The Compass focused on one core idea: helping families navigate caregiving with more clarity, confidence, and connection.

Throughout the year, we explored practical tools, inspiring personal stories, community-driven advocacy, and emerging innovations — all through the lens of people living with neurological and rare conditions, and the caregivers who support them every day.

Here are a few of the themes that defined our year.

1. Technology that expands voice and independence

We highlighted tools designed to reduce barriers, restore agency, and navigate caregiving:

• For AAC Awareness Month, our list of Top Digital AAC Apps of 2025 showed how communication technology continues to evolve — from simple picture-to-speech tools to fully customizable language systems.
• For Aphasia Awareness Month, our review of products for people living with aphasia focused on practical, therapy-aligned tools that support communication, cognition, and daily function.

Takeaway: Technology isn’t just about innovation — it’s about dignity, choice, and being heard.

2. Mobility as freedom

Our post on travel wheelchairs reframed mobility devices not as limitations, but as enablers — tools that help people continue to travel, explore, and participate fully in life. Our list was comprised of products recommended by support groups, community members, and others who have had to navigate caregiving in this particular scenario.

Takeaway: Access to the right equipment can directly shape quality of life and empower those with mobility limitations.

3. Advocacy and community in action

Several stories showed what’s possible when people come together:

• Kids’ Quest to Cure ALS reminded us that advocacy has no age limit — and that grassroots efforts can drive real awareness and funding.
• Three Takeaways from the Rare Disease Summit connected the caregiver experience to broader healthcare innovation, research, and policy.
• Our December spotlight on the Caregiver Action Network – showed how structured support systems can reduce isolation and empower families through education, peer connection, and advocacy.

Takeaway: Caregiving is personal — but progress happens collectively through communication, community outreach and leaning on support available to families.

4. The power of lived experience

• Our interview with Kerry Goode during ALS Awareness Month was a powerful reminder that behind every diagnosis is a person, a family, and a story. His perspective on resilience, identity, and community brought heart to the science and systems we often discuss.
• ALS Caregiver Profile — Joe & Alexandra Gasser: A deeply personal look at life with ALS through the experience of Joe, who cares for his wife Alex. Joe shares three critical pieces of advice for caregivers: find community support, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and maintain personal outlets and self-care to stay grounded while caregiving. Their story highlights how professional caregiving support and peer connections can significantly improve both caregiver well-being and quality of life for loved ones living with ALS.

Takeaway: Storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools for awareness, empathy, and change.

Looking Ahead

2025 reinforced something we deeply believe: caregiving doesn’t need to be navigated alone, and better tools, stronger communities, and more open conversations truly make a difference.

As we move into 2026, we’ll continue sharing resources, voices, and insights to support families wherever they are on their caregiving journey.

Thank you for being part of this community as we navigate caregiving together — for reading, sharing, learning, and caring alongside us.

About SimpliHere

The mission of SimpliHere is to ensure efficient care and peace of mind for caregivers and their patients with neurological conditions that impact communication and mobility. Joanna Rosenberg founded SimpliHere to address communication gaps between caregivers and patients. Her personal experience when her mother lived with ALS exposed the challenges of communicating and understanding basic needs, as well as managing daily tasks. Download SimpliHere today or subscribe to the Compass blog to help you navigate caregiving and learn from other community members who have been in your shoes.