This app lets seniors book “grandkids on demand”

This app lets seniors(ˈsēnyər) book “grandkids on demand(dəˈmand)”

A new app called Papa(ˈpäpə) adds a little convenience(kənˈvēnyəns) to the caring economy(əˈkänəmē), letting the elderly(ˈeldərlē) book time with a college(ˈkälij) student to help with errands(ˈerənd)–or just hang(haNG) out.

By Adele(ə) Peters

When an octogenarian(ˌäktəjəˈne(ə)rēən) in Florida(ˈflär-,ˈflôridə) uses a new “grandkids on demand” app called Papa, the service will send a carefully vetted(vet) college student to help with whatever the senior needs–someone to drive to the grocery(ˈgrōs(ə)rē) store and help shop, help with chores(CHôr), or give them a simple training in how to use Instagram or an iPad. But unlike Uber(ˈo͞obər) or Taskrabbit, the app aims to address a larger problem: loneliness(ˈlōnlēnəs).

“We believe [the problem of loneliness] is a big portion(ˈpôrSHən) of what we’re solving,” says Andrew Parker, Papa’s founder. “I think this is going to be a bigger problem over time, even more so than we realize now.”

Parker first started the company because his own family had a need for help with tasks. His grandfather was diagnosed(ˌdīəgˈnōs) with dementia(dəˈmen(t)SH(ē)ə) that progressed into Alzheimer’s(ˈältsˌhīmərz), and his grandmother was struggling to take care of him. “I tried traditional home care, but it wasn’t what he needed,” he says. “I just thought there was a huge gap.” He decided to try hiring a college student. When that worked well, he decided to build an app that others could use. He called the app “Papa” after his family’s nickname for his grandfather.

Seniors pay a $15 or $30 monthly service fee–the higher fee lets them request a particular student–and then $15 an hour for visits. An average visit is three hours, but they sometimes last as long as 10 hours. The college student pay varies(ˈve(ə)rē) based on the tasks they’re performing and the time they spend, but the minimum(ˈminəməm) visit nets them $10 and they get about 70% of the fee for a visit. It’s a way to get on-demand help when other family members aren’t available(əˈvāləbəl), or when the senior doesn’t want to bother someone else. But it’s also a way for someone on their own to have some company. The startup screens students to find those who are particularly empathetic(ˌempəˈTHedik), patient, and skilled conversationalists; many are working toward a career(kəˈri(ə)r) in health care or social work (only 4% of applicants(ˈapləkənt) are accepted and become “Papa Pals,” Parker says; there are now 500).

https://www.fastcompany.com/90227821/the-papa-app-lets-seniors-book-grandkids-on-demand