Empathy, the technology company transforming how the world plans for and deals with life’s hardest moments with AI and human care, today announced the expansion of its platform with Empathy Caregiving Support™, following the launch of Empathy Leave Support™, designed to help families navigate the growing complexity of long-term care and employee leaves of absence. The expansion comes amid a rapidly escalating care crisis in the United States, driven by a rising aging population, increasing healthcare costs, and a shortage of professional caregivers. Now more than ever, millions of individuals are stepping into caregiving roles under compounded pressure, juggling care responsibilities alongside full-time work in a high cost-of-living environment. Many are also caring for aging parents while still raising children, often without adequate preparation for the emotional, logistical, and financial demands involved.

Leave Support, and now Caregiving Support, builds on Empathy’s comprehensive platform, which spans across legacy planning and loss. For insurance carriers, the expansion turns a static policy into a living benefit, one where support shows up across every life transition. For employers, it turns benefits into a genuine safety net: the kind that keeps employees engaged, supported, and committed throughout their tenure and the life moments that matter most.

“Every family will face life’s hardest moments. Our responsibility is to make sure they’re never left to face them alone,” said Ron Gura, Co‑Founder & CEO of Empathy. “Caregiving is no longer just a short‑term or end‑of‑life event, a leave of absence is increasingly a long‑running reality rather than a brief interruption. These life-changing moments demand coordination, guidance, and emotional support, not just for one person, but for entire families. With these additions to our platform, we’re helping build a more resilient society, one where support is inclusive, expansive and financially sustainable. A stronger society isn’t built by avoiding hardship. It’s built by making sure people don’t have to face hardship alone.”

The Caregiving Crisis: From Coverage to Care

Today, more than 631 million Americans serve as unpaid caregivers, with caregiving lasting an average of 5.5 years. Although 70%2 of Americans will need some form of long-term care, most families are underprepared for the sustained emotional, financial, and practical strain that caregiving brings.

With caregiving, Empathy is extending its foundational model of pairing emotional support with practical, step‑by‑step guidance to one of the most demanding experiences families face. Empathy’s platform takes a holistic approach, supporting millions of families across the full care journey by combining financial guidance with practical support for managing complex care decisions, coordinating family responsibilities, accessing recommended services and resources, and managing the emotional strain that often accompanies care. This integrated model reflects the lived reality of caregiving today, where families must simultaneously manage logistics, finances, and emotional strain over extended periods of time.

Helping workers get back on their feet

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 2.6 million employees take a leave of absence from work any given week due to illness or injury. The complexities of leave, from filing claims to managing physical and mental healing, can be challenging, and without adequate support can result in longer recovery times and more missed workdays.

Short‑term disability insurance has become one of the most common ways employers fund and structure a leave of absence, making the quality of support during that period a critical lever for insurers, employers, and employees who are trying to get back on their feet. Empathy Leave Support, launched in partnership with MetLife last October, is designed to reduce the hidden costs of leave on employers by guiding employees through the emotional and practical challenges of taking a leave of absence from work. The intuitive, engaging experience supports employees throughout the entire leave journey, from initial planning through return-to-work. Leave Support helps employees establish daily routines and structure, reduce stress and increase well-being, streamline claim processing and facilitate return-to-work planning, and is supported by a dedicated Care Team. Since launch, Leave Support usage has grown rapidly month over month, increasing fivefold in its first three months.

Redefining Expectations for Modern Care

While Empathy Leave Support helps people return to work and life, Empathy Caregiving Support helps people navigate what may be a new normal. Combining AI with human care, Empathy provides an unparalleled experience for policyholders and a new standard of support for carriers, one where insurance plays a more active role throughout the broader care journey that life events require. Whether someone is planning their legacy, stepping into a caregiving role, taking a disability leave from work, or experiencing a loss, with Empathy, they can count on one platform and ecosystem of support.

To learn more about the Empathy platform, Empathy Caregiving Support™, visit www.empathy.com.

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1

 National Alliance for Caregiving

2

 Health and Human Services

About Empathy

Empathy is a leading technology company transforming how the world plans for and deals with life’s hardest moments with AI and human care, serving more than 50 million policyholders across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Backed by $162 million from top-tier venture firms such as Index Ventures, General Catalyst, Adams Street Partners, and other leading funds, alongside strategic investments from global financial institutions, Empathy offers comprehensive, expert guidance through bereavement, estate management, legacy planning, caregiving, leaves of absence, and more. Recognized by Apple, Google Play, and Fast Company, Empathy pairs technology built for scale with the kind of care only people can give, redefining the standard for what modern support looks like. Learn more at empathy.com.

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