In this Q&A, Kylee Bandy talks about losing her father, how it led her to becoming a Care Manager, and the different ways that she’s able to help families.

When someone dies, families aren’t just dealing with grief. They also become responsible for paperwork, account closures, and decisions that they’ve never faced before. 

That’s where Elayne comes in. Our platform turns a complex process into a structured roadmap, with action items and progress tracking built in. Alongside it, our Care Managers offer personal support, answer questions, and help families move through each stage of estate settlement.  

For this Q&A, I sat down with one of our Care Managers, Kylee Bandy. “Care Manager” is a term we use often at Elayne, but not everyone knows what that actually looks like in practice. Through her work, Kylee brings both professional skill and deep empathy to every family she supports. I’ve seen how quickly she’s able to make an impact, and how much lighter things feel once she’s involved. 

After losing her father, Kylee made the decision to switch careers and help others navigate the same challenges she’d gone through. Today, she draws on lived experience with practical know-how to guide families through loss, and help them move forward with more clarity and confidence.

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Can you walk us through a Care Manager’s role?
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With estate settlement, families often feel like the entire responsibility falls on them. And if they’re the executor, the weight feels even heavier. That’s where a Care Manager comes in.

We help families stay organized, manage tasks, and move forward without having to navigate everything alone. Most people have never faced this before, and suddenly, they’re being asked to handle legal and financial decisions while grieving.

Some days, I’m meeting with new families to learn where they are in the process and how we can help. Other days, I’m tracking down financial accounts, coordinating with attorneys and financial advisors, or mapping out probate requirements. 

Every situation is different, but our goal is always the same: turn what feels overwhelming into something clear and manageable.

As a Care Manager, how does Elayne support your work?
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Some families use the Elayne app independently and are looking for light guidance as they move through the process. Others want more hands-on support, and in those cases, we work closely together in the Elayne platform.

We can securely message, share documents, and bring in other family members when needed. Elayne gives everyone a single place to stay aligned, monitor progress, and see what needs to happen next.

The technology helps simplify complex parts of the process and keeps everything on track, but it never replaces the human relationship. The AI and tools available through Elayne are designed to strengthen the partnership between Care Manager and family, not substitute for it. That balance allows us to provide both the personal care and practical structure that families need.

I’d love to hear what motivated you to become a Care Manager.
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I live in Colorado and studied hospitality management at the University of Denver. I was working in that field until 2018, when my dad passed away.

Suddenly, my family and I were dealing with estate paperwork, court filings, and account closures. It was overwhelming, and we were surprised by how little guidance was available. 

Not long after, several of my close friends lost parents as well. Supporting them through it made me realize how common this experience is, and how often people are left to figure it out on their own. I’d say those experiences, and wanting to make a difference, led me to becoming a Care Manager.

What drew you to Elayne specifically?
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When I met Adria (Elayne’s CEO), it felt like talking to someone I’d known for years. She’d lost her mom, and knew exactly what I’d been through.

That first conversation really mattered to me. It was clear that this wasn’t just a business to her and her team. They’d lived it themselves, and like me, couldn’t find the support they needed. Now, they were building those resources for others.  

Also, Elayne’s approach to technology really resonated with me. The goal isn’t to replace human care with AI, but to combine both in a way that actually helps people, and makes a painful process easier to manage. Even with all the tools and automation on Elayne’s platform, there’s always a real person involved. And when you’re grieving, having that personal support makes a huge difference.

In particular, how do Care Managers lower the burden on families?
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During estate settlement, one of the most painful tasks is calling service providers. 

It sounds simple, but having to make call after call, repeating that your loved one has died, is horrible. And depending on how many accounts there are, it can mean dozens of those conversations.

We take care of that.

It helps protect the family’s time and energy, at a moment when both are already stretched thin.

We also find things that might’ve gotten lost.

I was working with a family and noticed a recurring charge on their loved one’s bank statement. We looked into it, and found that it was for a life insurance policy that the family didn’t know existed. Those types of discoveries are more common than you’d think, and they can completely change an entire family’s situation.

Also, we meet each family where they are.

I always tell people that we’re here to support them in any way they need. If that means taking something off your plate, we’ll handle it. If you just need a sounding board, we can do that too.

I’ve been through this myself.

And, I think people can sense that. They know I understand how hard this is, and that I’ll be by their side, no matter what.

Can you share a client story that’s really stayed with you?
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I worked with someone who lost her husband.

He’d handled their finances. Now, she was in meetings with financial advisors, and being asked to make major decisions on her own. 

So, I went with her.

We prepared beforehand, and attended those meetings together. Knowing she had someone there really made a difference. It became a lot easier for her to make decisions, and feel confident about them.

In another case, a client had inherited a house.

But, she didn’t know where to begin. The title, the insurance, the belongings inside the home—it just felt like too much. 

Together, we made a plan. 

We talked about everything, brought in the right professionals, and created a roadmap that she could follow at her own pace.

A question I ask every family is, “What’s the one thing that’s keeping you up at night?” 

Very often, it’s not a task with a strict due date. Instead, it’s something that’s emotionally difficult, and is really weighing on them. So, we tackle that first. It helps create momentum, and makes everything else feel more doable.  

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Anything else you’d like people to know about working with a Care Manager?
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Just that everything we do is tailored to each family.

No two situations are the same. Some clients want us to take on as much as possible so they can focus on other priorities. Others want to handle certain tasks themselves and just need some guidance along the way. Both approaches work. This is their process, and we’re here to help them with anything they need. 

Our role is to give each family structure, options, and steady support while they work through something incredibly difficult. Our goal is to make it feel lighter, more organized, and more compassionate. 

At the end of the day, we want families to feel like they have a partner beside them. Someone who understands exactly what they’re facing, and knows how to help.

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