Families looking to hire an in-home caregiver for their loved ones now have another resource at their disposal with the launch of a new tech-based startup company.
HomeHero, a Santa Monica, California-based startup backed by technology studio Science Inc., provides an online marketplace families can visit to find, hire and manage in-home care for seniors.
The company’s HomeHero Connect tool enables families nationwide to manage their independent caregivers via phone timesheet tracking, daily activity summaries, emergency alerts and automated payments.
HomeHero caregivers clock-in and clock-out from a landline telephone and give daily summaries and voice recordings to inform families of their loved one’s condition.
Families can also access high-definition video profiles of caregivers, as well as background checks, social references and reviews. All of the caregivers are pre-screened an subject to a rigorous certification process that includes an in-person interview and entrance exam in addition to a background check.
The company also has a $1,000,000 insurance policy that covers bodily injury and property damage in the even of an accident.
Currently, caregivers are only available in Southern California, but the company said it expects to launch in a new city each month.
Founded by Kyle Hill and Mike Townsend, HomeHero developed as a result of personal experience when searching for in-home caregivers for their own grandparents.
“We wanted to consolidate a suite of in-home care services into a simple and affordable offering that families could use right away,” said Hill, co-founder and CEO of HomeHero.
In the last 30 years, the average age of a senior leaving their home grew from 74 to 90, and the average distance between elderly and closest adult child increased from 32 miles to 56 miles, according to the 2013 Private Duty Benchmark Study.
“Finding the right person to provide at-home care for seniors is a growing financial and emotional burden for millions of Americans, and HomeHero ensures they are paying the right rate for the right level of service,” said Michael Jones, CEO of Science Inc., in a statement.
Written by Jason Oliva