As Americans live longer, more families face complex and emotional decisions about how and where their loved ones will age. A new artificial intelligence-powered tool is helping take the guesswork out of those conversations, offering clarity and peace of mind.
Robert Whithaker is spending his retirement as he hoped — a book in hand, watching golfers from the comfort of his sunroom at Vi at Bentley Village in Naples.
“There’s no association between the practice swing and hitting the ball,” he said, pointing to the course.
But the journey to this chapter in life was not simple. After he and his wife cared for their aging parents, they saw firsthand how difficult long-term care planning can be.
“My father lived to 86 and passed away at home,” Whithaker said. “Later, my mother moved into a facility. It was tough.”
Whithaker believes that waiting too long to plan for retirement can put an unfair burden on loved ones.
“To me, you’re selfish if you say, ‘I’m going to stay home and do it,’ and your children have to look after you,” he said. “You’re taking away their time. I don’t think that’s smart or fair.”
He and his wife never had children, so they started to prepare early. Whithaker said they wished there had been a tool to help guide them through the process.
“It was very complex,” he said. “If we had somewhere we could use AI to do it, it would’ve been very helpful.”
That is exactly the problem entrepreneur Lily Vittayarukskul set out to solve. After helping care for her aunt during a battle with cancer, she created Waterlily , an AI-driven planning system designed to simplify long-term care decisions.
“It was incredibly surprising — the out-of-pocket cost, the stress and the decisions we had to make,” she said. “We haven’t spoken to part of our extended family since that happened.”
Vittayarukskul said Waterlily allows users to see what the future might look like — who would be responsible for care, how much it would cost and how their preferences today could affect outcomes tomorrow.
“The system shows a reactive version of yourself — what things will look like if you wait,” she said. “Then, while you’re decades younger, it asks: do you want to change those preferences?”
Couples like Fred and Kathy Pease, also residents at Vi at Bentley Village, say early planning has made all the difference.
“We’ve been pretty planful over the years,” Kathy Pease said. “Even in our 20s, we were thinking about what we’d be doing in our 60s.”
Their careful preparation has allowed them to enjoy retirement without fear of what comes next.
“People said, ‘You came here way too early,’” Fred Pease said. “But I’d like to enjoy the last 15 or 20 years — whatever we have. That’s why we came here.”
They believe that too many people avoid these conversations until it is too late.
“People start sensing their mortality,” Fred said. “And that’s when the panic sets in.”
Waterlily is already being used by insurance companies and senior living communities to help families talk through tough decisions before a crisis hits.
“If you’re trying to talk to someone about long-term care, one thing you could do is recommend they use the Waterlily system,” Vittayarukskul said. “It helps them understand their unique needs.”
For Whithaker, moving into a retirement community early meant peace of mind and a new daily routine.
“A typical day for us is we get up around 6:30, walk 2 1/2 miles,” he said. “We’re even getting competitive — we’ve gotten our mile time down from 15 minutes and 30 seconds to under 15 minutes. That’s a good day.”
With their care needs already met, they are focused on living well today.
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