I Left the Doctor’s Office and Couldn’t Remember a Thing

Guest Post with Crystal Gallo, Founder of Innerhive 

Have you ever left a doctor's appointment and realized you couldn't remember half of what was said? I have. I was standing in a hospital parking lot, keys in hand, and I couldn’t recall a single next step. 

I had been so focused on being present, on holding my grandmother’s hand, on processing the weight of what the doctors were telling us, that the actual details slipped right through. 

When we left I scribbled what I could remember but knew it wasn’t enough. That moment broke something in me and eventually, it built something too. 

When my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia, my family faced an impossible situation. She had been caring for my uncle as he navigated cancer treatment. Suddenly, both needed full-time support. There was no plan, no system, and no safety net. 

My family and I made the instinctive but heavy decision to move both family members across the country to live with us. We thought remote work would let us figure it out on the fly. We were wrong. 

The overwhelm was immediate. Between attending heart-wrenching appointments, tracking medications, managing insurance calls and trying to process a flood of medical information while scribbling notes, burnout hit fast. I found myself leaving care meetings unsure of next steps, drowning in information, and experiencing the isolation and pressure that too many caregivers know all too well. 

I started talking to friends, colleagues and other caregivers. I discovered I wasn't alone. Millions of caregivers were quietly navigating similar chaos: struggling to remember what the doctor said, feeling disconnected from family members who couldn't attend appointments, and emotionally burning out under the weight of a system that offers little support. Research shows that by the next day, most patients only remember around 10% of what was said during medical appointments. The details that slip through the cracks can derail an entire care plan and have serious impacts on wellness. 

I kept thinking there has to be a better way.

That’s how Innerhive started, in the mess of real caregiving. The team that came together to build it shared something important, we had been caregivers ourselves. We’d felt the weight of a broken system, not for lack of compassion, not for lack of love, but for lack of tools. 

We don't want to add to anyone's plate. We want to lighten the load. At its core, Innerhive addresses what I couldn’t stop thinking about: what did the doctor actually say? 

With just one tap, Innerhive records and summarizes medical appointments and care conversations. No more scribbling while trying to stay present. No more walking out confused in a blur, wondering what the next steps are. And capturing the conversation was only the beginning. 

One of our users, Lisa, described herself as a "sandwich generation" caregiver. She was caring for her adopted grandchildren and her aging parents at the same time. "I felt like I was drowning in responsibilities and burnout," she told us. 

What struck me about Lisa's story wasn't just the overwhelm. It was what happened when she started using our Care Map, a visual tool that shows your entire support network and everyone involved in care. 

"It allows me to view each family member's constellation of service providers and appointments at a glance," she said. "I'm looking forward to further integrating Innerhive into our family structure to 'share the care' in a more equitable, real-time way, which is both safer and less stressful." 

That idea of ‘share the care’ is at the heart of what we are building. 

I used to think caregiving meant figuring it out alone. Keeping everything in my head. Being the one who remembers the medications, the appointments, the insurance deadlines, the follow-ups. I wore my exhaustion like a badge of honor. 

But I've learned something different now. 

Caregiving doesn't fall apart because people don't care. It falls apart because information gets lost. Because family members don't know how to help. Because the person holding everything together can't see the full picture and neither can anyone else. 

Clarity allows connection. Connection creates support. And having real support is how we thrive. 

That's why Innerhive doesn't stop at note-taking. The platform grows with you: appointment tracking that syncs to your calendar, medication management, a place to store care documents so you're never digging through emails at 1am, curated local resources so you're not endlessly Googling, and the ability to share updates with family so your brother in another state finally sees what you're carrying. 

I know caregivers are skeptical. We've been promised help before. We've tried things that have added more complexity than they solved. We've been let down. 

I understand that. I've felt it. 

That's why it means so much when people who've spent decades in this space vouch for what we're building. Lance A. Slatton, a healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience and host of the award-winning show All Home Care Matters, put it this way:  

"I've been approached by many apps and software that claim to help make the caregiving experience easier. It was only Innerhive that truly lived up to the high expectations that I have. Innerhive is helping to make caregiving easier and more efficient for family caregivers and their loved ones." 

We don't take that trust lightly. 

This is the hardest thing I've ever done and also the most meaningful. The role of caregiver is one most of us will step into eventually, whether we're ready or not. Innerhive wasn't built just to support caregivers today. It's here to shape the future of caregiving for all of us. 

I still think about the version of me that was standing in the parking lot, completely overwhelmed, trying to remember what the doctor said. She was doing her best. 

But she didn't have to do it that way. Neither do you. 

Ready to lighten the load? Innerhive is free to download on the App Store and Google Play or visit innerhive.com to learn more. 

Want to hear more about the caregiving journey behind Innerhive? Listen to Crystal on the Innerhive YouTube channel.

Crystal Gallo is Founder of Innerhive.

View More on the Bridgetown Blog