So often, one person ends up holding it all
In many families, one person ends up keeping the whole picture together. And when you're managing your own health, that person might be you.
The appointments. The medications. What the doctor said. Which form was submitted, and which one is still sitting on the kitchen counter. The referral nobody has followed up on. The phone call someone promised to make but never did.
It's remembering the little things, keeping track of the important things, and making sure nothing gets forgotten along the way.
Maybe you're coordinating appointments and supports for a child. Maybe you're helping parents or in-laws who need more assistance than they used to. Maybe you're managing a chronic condition or complex health needs of your own.
And sometimes, it's all of the above.
Information ends up scattered across emails, calendars, notebooks, text messages and your head. And somehow, you're still mentally running through tomorrow's list when you're trying to sleep.
Other people may be willing to help, but you're still the one who knows what needs doing, who needs to do it, and whether it actually happened.
Managing care for yourself or someone else is one thing. Having to remember and coordinate everything is another.
That's the problem AVA is being built to solve.
Why I started AVA
I started AVA because I'm the person holding all the notes.
Between my own health, my children, and our parents and in-laws, I've spent a lot of time keeping track of appointments, information, and all the little things that need following up.
I know what it's like to leave an appointment with a head full of instructions, only to realize there are three more things to follow up on. I know what it's like to chase a referral that has gone quiet, search through old emails for something a doctor said, or be the only person who remembers who promised what.
And I know how frustrating it can be when the information exists somewhere, but nobody else knows where to find it.
It's not that people don't want to help. Often, they just don't have the information they need, or they don't know what needs doing.
I kept thinking there had to be a better way.
Somewhere to put everything. Somewhere to see what was outstanding. Somewhere that made it easier for the people around us to understand what was happening and take responsibility for their part.
AVA is the tool I wished I had.
I'm building it from my own experience, but I don't want it to work just for me.
Every person's situation is different. That's why we're inviting people to test AVA, tell us what works, show us what doesn't, and help shape what comes next.
I'm building AVA with the people who need it, not just for them.
If any of this sounds familiar, I'd love your help making it better.
Eugenia
Founder, The Advocacy Village
What AVA does about it
One place to keep track of everything. A village to help carry the load.
AVA is designed around a simple idea: every person has their own needs, information and people involved in their care.
We call that their village.
A village brings together the person's appointments, notes, questions, tasks, follow-ups, helpers and care professionals.
You can create a village for yourself, your child, your parent, your partner or someone else you support.
And if you're keeping track of several people, AVA helps you see what needs your attention across all your villages, without mixing everyone's information together.
Capture what matters
Something comes up during an appointment. You remember a question while driving. A doctor gives you instructions you don't want to forget.
Say it or type it into AVA.
Keep the information together, where you can find it again, and turn important details into next steps.
Know what needs to happen next
A referral needs following up. A form needs submitting. Someone promised to call back. An appointment needs booking.
AVA helps turn information into clear next steps, so you know what needs doing, who's responsible, and when.
Keep track of what's still waiting
Some of the most frustrating parts of managing care are the things that happen between appointments.
The referrals, unanswered calls, outstanding results and promised follow-ups.
AVA helps keep those things visible, so you can decide when something needs another nudge.
Walk into appointments prepared
Keep questions, concerns and important information together before a visit.
Afterwards, capture your own recap of what was discussed, what was recommended and what needs to happen next.
So the details don't get lost between one appointment and the next.
Bring your village together
Care shouldn't depend on one person remembering everything and passing the information along.
As AVA develops toward its broader beta, you'll be able to invite trusted people into a village, choose what information they can access, and share responsibility without giving up control.
The goal isn't to give everyone access to everything.
It's to make sure the right people have the right information to help.
See the bigger picture
When you're keeping track of several people's needs, or managing multiple parts of your own care, even a simple week can become complicated.
AVA brings tasks, appointments and follow-ups together so you can see what needs attention, what's waiting and what's been completed.
Less searching. Less repeating. Less mental juggling.
The point isn't to give you one more app to manage.
It's to help you carry a little less in your head and make it easier for your village to share the work.
What we believe
It takes a village
No one should have to be their own record keeper, appointment coordinator and follow-up system, all while managing their own health or supporting someone else.
Whether you're caring for yourself or supporting someone else, having the right people involved and working together can make a real difference.
AVA is about making that easier.
The person comes first
Every village is centred on the person whose information it contains.
Supporting someone should never mean overlooking their voice, choices or rights.
That person should have appropriate rights, choices and protections over their information, with arrangements that recognize parents, guardians, substitute decision-makers and other authorized supporters when needed.
Helping someone manage their care, or paying for an account, should not automatically mean unrestricted control over their information.
Follow-through matters
So much of managing care happens outside appointments.
It's remembering what was discussed, arranging the next step, following up when something doesn't happen and making sure people have what they need.
Most care coordination happens between appointments. That's where AVA is designed to help.
Sharing the work makes a difference
It's not enough for information to be stored somewhere.
It needs to be understandable, accessible to the right people and connected to what actually needs doing.
A village works better when everyone knows what's happening and what part they can play.
Keep it simple and be straight with people
Technology should make life easier, not create another complicated system to maintain.
We're committed to building something practical, understandable and genuinely useful.
We're also committed to being clear about what AVA can do, what's still being developed, and how information is handled.
Where we are
AVA is being built in stages because we want to get the important things right before asking people to trust it with real information.
Now: Testing
A small group of testers is exploring AVA using fictional names, appointments and information.
We're learning whether people can find their way around, capture what matters, organize follow-ups and understand what's happening across their villages.
We're also identifying what doesn't work, what needs improving and what's missing.
This version is for testing only. Please do not enter real personal, medical, school or family information.
Next: Strengthening privacy, security and reliability
Privacy, security and appropriate access are being considered throughout AVA's development.
Before inviting people to use real personal or health information, we plan to complete independent privacy and security reviews, address any findings, and verify that the necessary safeguards and features are working reliably.
This includes preparing the platform for health information, testing permissions and access controls, and making sure the core features work as intended.
Our goal: A beta with real people and families in 2027
We're working toward a carefully managed beta with individuals and families using AVA in their everyday lives.
That beta is intended to include the core care coordination experience, including shared access for trusted helpers, appropriate permissions, and the ability to coordinate tasks and follow-ups across a village.
The timing will depend on completing the necessary privacy, security and readiness work.
We're building toward something people can genuinely rely on, not simply rushing to launch.
Your privacy during this test
We know that information about someone's health, family and care is deeply personal.
Privacy, appropriate access and control over information are fundamental to how AVA is being designed.
For this early test, there are a few important things to know.
- Use fictional information only. Please don't enter real names, medical information, school records or personal details, or upload real documents, photographs or recordings.
- Do not record actual appointments or conversations. If you want to try voice capture, use a made-up example.
- Do not invite real people during testing. Use fictional helper names and contact details.
- Private test villages are separate. Other testers' villages are kept apart from yours. Other testers should not be able to browse your private villages through AVA.
- Shared demo villages are different. The Morgan family, for example, is a fictional environment that testers can explore and change. Other testers may see what you add there.
- Testing helps us improve AVA. We collect limited information about how AVA is used to understand which features testers use, where they get stuck and what needs improving.
- You can leave the test. Account deletion is available through Settings, subject to the deletion and retention terms described in the Test version agreement.
AVA has not yet completed its planned independent privacy and security reviews. That's why this version is restricted to made-up information.
This is a summary of the testing arrangements, not a replacement for the Test version agreement.
Help us build something better
AVA started with a problem I knew personally, but I know my experience is only one of many.
We're inviting people who manage their own health, support someone else, or coordinate care for several people to help us make AVA better.
You don't need to be a technology expert. We want to know what works, what doesn't, and what would genuinely make life easier.
There are several ways to help.
- Try AVA. Sign up and spend a little time exploring it with fictional information.
- Tell us what works and what doesn't. What would you actually use? What would you ignore? What confused you? What would make managing care easier?
- Share your experience. Everyone organizes information differently. We want to understand what people are doing today and where existing tools fall short.
- Pass it on. If you know someone who is coordinating a lot of care, or a clinic, community group or organization that might be interested in AVA, we'd love to connect.
Sometimes the most helpful feedback is simply, "I expected this to work differently."
What AVA is not
AVA helps people organize information, appointments, tasks, instructions and follow-ups.
It does not provide medical advice, make diagnoses, recommend treatment, replace healthcare professionals or maintain official medical records.
It is not an emergency service.
In an emergency, call 911.
Get in touch
Have a question, an idea or feedback?
We'd love to hear from you.
feedback@theadvocacyvillageapp.ca
We read every message.