A couple of days ago I got a text from a friend I hadn't heard from in a year. I've known her for over a decade, and I have never met her in person. That friendship is why I know what an online community can be, and why I worry about what so many of them have turned into.

Before we can fix the caregiving crisis, we have to ask whether we've lost the most important thing: the willingness to come close. This is a call to caregivers and care tech founders alike to prioritize human presence over optimization.