Wilmington-based health tech startup CareHome Health Solutions aims to make medication management easier for seniors and their caregivers, and the company is soon moving from prototype to pilot.
Its first product, the Graciela, is a smart pill and hydration dispenser that works to reduce medication errors, provide caregivers with peace of mind and help seniors stay independent and at home longer, AJ Trelease, the company’s founder, wrote in an email.
“The device dispenses medication and water at custom times and alerts caregivers through our Care Circle app when a dose is missed,” he wrote.
“To clarify, the Graciela is a device named after my 97-year-old grandmother, and it’s intended to help seniors take their prescriptions on time, keeping them comfortably at home with family for longer.”
The prototype version of the Graciela has been in the works for three years, according to Trelease. He added that that version proved the startup’s core features – such as touch-free medication dispensing, built-in water delivery and real-time adherence tracking – worked.
The product’s touch-free dispensing feature also makes it more accessible for users with arthritis, tremors or limited mobility, according to Trelease.
He noted that the prototype was built with older adults in mind and explained that most medication technology on the market falls short because it overlooks the senior experience. He also further elaborated on the Graciela’s functionality and described how it helps with medication management.
“Instead of walking to the kitchen or relying on someone else, everything needed for safe medication intake is now in one place, and more independence is given back to the senior user,” he said.
But as for the product transition, CareHome is preparing to launch a three-month pilot program with local home health agencies and family caregivers so that it can “get real-world feedback,” said Trelease.
“Pilot partners are helping us pressure-test everything related to device usability,” he added. “The data from this stage is critical both for product refinement and for showing future partners and payers that we’re solving a real, measurable problem in medication compliance.”
He said that the pilot is the next step in turning the Graciela from a functional prototype into a real-world solution and explained that the new version will give the company critical feedback on usability, feature priorities and the things that matter most to caregivers and older adults.
“We know this version isn’t perfect or ready for full-scale launch, and that’s the point,” he said. “I’m not making product decisions based on assumptions. This pilot ensures everything we build going forward is grounded in real user behavior and solves a critical, impactful issue.”
Trelease also delved into his inspiration for starting the company and offered thoughts on the issue of medication mismanagement.
“This all started with my grandmother, Graciela,” he explained. “She takes nearly 20 medications a day, and like many older adults, she struggles with feelings of codependency. I watched her, along with the people caring for her, deal with daily stressors just trying to make sure the right pills were taken at the right time.”
He said medication mismanagement is breaking both the older adults taking the medicine and the caregivers.
“That’s why we’ve built CareHome,” he said. “Our Graciela device and Care Circle app reduce steps, increase confidence and generate real-time compliance data so no one’s guessing whether the meds were taken.”
In addition, he highlighted one of the company’s achievements he’s most proud of.
“Of all the events we’ve attended and pitch competitions and opportunities CareHome has been a part of, one of my favorite wins of this year was receiving the NC IDEA MICRO grant,” he said. “We applied to that one three total times and kept coming back stronger until we finally took it home.”
He also praised Wilmington for contributing to the startup’s growth.
“Wilmington has been such a perfect fit for us in terms of both getting in front of our target customers and being supported by the local startup ecosystem, which is quickly on the rise,” he shared. “I doubt we’d be as far along as we are now if we were based anywhere else.”
In addition to launching CareHome’s pilot later in the year, Trelease said that the company has exciting milestones ahead.
“We’ll be exhibiting and pitching at ConvergeSouth 2025, filming a documentary-style video in late July with a wireless foundation in D.C. and wrapping up NC IDEA’s MICRO grant programming as a recent recipient.”
New opportunities to showcase CareHome, he wrote, are quickly approaching, and the rest of 2025 “will be all about sharpening our brand, telling our story and building the right partnerships for scale.”
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