September 17, 2024 • 23 mins
What if you could significantly improve the lives of seniors through technology and meaningful connections? Join us for an insightful conversation with Caleb Richardson, the innovative CEO and founder of Helperly. Caleb shares his deeply personal motivation behind creating Helperly, a personal care agency that places a strong emphasis on companionship and personal connection, inspired by his own family experiences. You'll learn how this vision evolved into Helperly Connect, a groundbreaking free platform designed to combat senior loneliness and promote lifelong learning through interactive classes.
In our discussion, Caleb highlights the transformative role of technology in senior care. Traditional advertisements often fall short, depicting seniors in ways that don't empower them. Instead, we explore how simplified tech interfaces, engaging activities, and real-time communication features can revolutionize senior care. Discover how early intervention and strategic partnerships with care providers contribute to both physical and emotional well-being, supporting seniors to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.
We also delve into the importance of empowering seniors by providing them with opportunities to mentor and share their life experiences. Caleb explains the various life stages, from youthful passions to giving back in later years, and how seniors can feel undervalued without avenues to contribute. Learn practical steps for senior care providers to connect with Helperly and engage seniors meaningfully. Plus, get a sneak peek into the upcoming season of Senior Care Academy and find out how you can be a part of building a vibrant, supportive community dedicated to enhancing senior care. Don't miss this inspiring episode filled with actionable insights and heartwarming stories.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everybody, welcome to the Senior Care
Academy podcast, Excited tointroduce today's guest.
He's actually the CEO andfounder of Helperly and the
creator and mind behind HelperlyConnect, Caleb Richardson.
We're excited to have you on.
I guess we like the hosts ofthe show excited to talk a
little bit about Helperly andHelperly Connect today.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, I'm excited to chat as well.
It's been fun over like 30episodes back and forth.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We've learned a lot, I think so it's exciting had
some big names on, so learned alot for sure.
Talk to us about Helperly itsinception and then the birth of
Helperly Connect.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
So Helperly came about.
It's been a few years now butthe Helperly the service side of
the company is, in essence it'sa personal care agency with a
focus on the companionship andkind of that personal connection
and that has been growing.
Started that because I have ahuge family and it was really
normal for me to see 30grandkids at my grandma's house
(01:03):
and then I realized that wasn'tnormal and so our goal is kind
of to make that possible and,like I said, we have an emphasis
on the personal connectionbecause they're realizing that
over the years, like I helpedout at my grandparents' house a
lot but what they really enjoyedwas being able to actually sit
down, like my grandma used to doscience days every Thursday or
Friday and we'd go to like theJordan River Parkway and she'd
(01:25):
show us trees and stuff andthat's what she cared about was
teaching.
So that's what we focus on.
And then Helperly Connect is areally simple app or platform
for seniors to connect and learnnew things.
So anything from like musicclasses, piano, guitar exercise,
like yoga, dancing, things likethat Basically anything that
(01:45):
you can think of held virtuallyin live interactive classes,
think like a Zoom call.
And the reason why we started.
That is, we wanted to be ableto give back to seniors in a way
, and we learned that it's over70% of seniors want to make
friends with their peers, andthen over like 90 or something
percent of people want to belifelong learners.
So we were able to make thatfor seniors and it's totally
(02:06):
free of charge to them, and itwas just a cool way to get in
front of more seniors as well totry to help help them get the
care that they need earlier.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So it kind of sounds like I would say like help
really would be for in-home careservice oriented and then help
really connect.
Does that like tackle, likeloneliness, like what are some
of the main, I guess, late stageof life events that help really
connect tries to solve?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, so one of the big ones that help really
connect is solving is that moreoften than not um, because most
seniors see themselves asyounger than they actually are
they're not engaging with theproviders that are actually able
to help them live healthierlives.
So, like home health or assistedliving, all these things that a
lot of seniors need but they'renot doing because they see an
(03:01):
ad with or like they're drivingpast the local assisted living,
it's like come and tour.
Today they're not going to go inand tour, but they will click
that they want to learn pianoand they'll join an app and then
we're able to put an assistedliving that same assisted living
that they drove past on thestreet can put on the class.
They're able to actually have aconversation about how it's
changed from the sixties, and sothat's one big one is just
(03:23):
really getting them the carethat they need earlier because
they're willing to interact withthe provider.
And then, like I said, theloneliness aspect is huge
because even if they do have areally supportive family or a
company that's coming in to helpmultiple times a week, they're
still going to be alone moreoften than having somebody there
.
So being able to connect withpeople just all throughout the
(03:46):
week and then on interests aswell.
So rather than just going toyour local senior center for
lunch and meeting random people,it's like they can show up to
the yoga class knowing thateverybody else that's there also
is interested in yoga andgetting healthier and everything
that yoga represents.
So it kind of solves a fewproblems.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
That's awesome.
Helpbird Connect's been out fora while now, like a year in
development.
What was its incubation period?
Look, I guess not incubation,but like the beta, like the
first versions of the website.
What were you doing?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Great question.
So it's almost been a yearsince the idea and then just
launching it.
So it's almost been a yearsince the idea and then just
launching it.
And originally the idea came alittle bit out of frustration
because in 2023, I did so manyice cream socials, so many
bingos at assisted livings andsenior centers and handed out
hundreds of brochures, and thenI'd leave and just hope and pray
that they would need my carebecause odds are, in that moment
(04:43):
they didn't need what helprelease services were doing and
it was really frustrating.
So I was like how do I get infront of more seniors?
And then I had spent thousandsand thousands on like really
well, put together ads andthings like that and just
nothing was working.
So just about a year ago I waslike I bet I also stumbled on
(05:03):
the stat that seniors want tomake friends with other seniors,
and so I like pulled out myphone through a Facebook ad up
just saying hey, if you're over60 and you want to learn new
things and make friends, clickthe link below.
And then version one was thatFacebook ad.
And then I used Zapier, which isjust an automation software,
costs like nothing and Zapped assoon as they filled out the
(05:23):
Facebook form, it sent him anemail with like a zoom link and
people are showing up and havingreally cool experiences.
One of the things is just calleddaily connect, so they would
show up to daily connect and wehad one that was really cool
where a younger senior she waslike 67, 68.
And then there was an older,like 75, 78 person and the
(05:44):
younger one was still workingbut she got injured and wasn't
able to work anymore and she wasfeeling really like
directionless, really depressedand down.
And in that call or in thatdaily connect that was just a
zoom meeting that I sent outthrough an automated tool those
two were able to connect andthat older lady had actually had
(06:04):
that same injury and she's likeoh my gosh, you need to try
this, this and this.
And the younger lady at the endof it was like this was really
helpful, like I loved being heretoday, and so that's when I
realized that we should probablyturn it into more than just
like a meet and greet.
We started developing the appinto what it is today.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So dang, actually I had no idea about that, yeah
that's so sweet.
That's like one a classic howthis business started story.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's super cool WithZapier and like automation and
marketing.
I think a lot of people wouldassume, probably, that like
seniors aren't familiar withlike technology.
(06:41):
But I guess, like whatassumptions were you making
about like just sending out azoom link?
And what assumptions were youmaking about like just sending
out a zoom link?
And then what have you learnedsince like marketing to seniors?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah.
So the assumption was thatthey'd have a really hard time
and it's not true A lot of thetime like they have some sort of
exposure to it.
So before they actually got thezoom link, I sent out an email
with like a bunch of videos melike showing them how to make a
Zoom account, how to anyway, sotried to make it really basic,
but a lot of them ended up notactually needing it and the
(07:13):
marketing to seniors.
That's also an interestingthing is.
It started out because of thestatistic that over 70% want to
connect to new people.
I was like make new friends andthe click through rate on that
was way lower than like come andlearn new things.
So it was interesting.
So what you learned is thatseniors don't want to admit that
(07:33):
they're lonely, even though thevast, like a lot of them are,
or a lot of them are looking forthat connection, but they don't
want to admit it.
So we had to pivot to learnguitar, learn piano, come and
exercise interest-based stuff.
And then the connection and thecommunity was a secondary
(07:55):
benefit, which is a greaterbenefit, but it was.
We couldn't put that up frontbecause they didn't want to feel
helpless.
That's kind of a trend in a lotof marketing to seniors is that
they are the ones receiving thehelp rather than them being the
heroes of the story, and sothat was a huge shift is like
how do we, in all of ourmarketing efforts, make it that
helperly connect or helperly ourservices are just a resource to
(08:20):
help the senior get to thetotal outcome that they want and
be the hero of their own story?
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, hero is an interesting term.
When I think of hero, I guesslike for myself, like when I
purchase a product, I envisionmyself using it and then all of
like the benefits or the valueads that you see on like the
website or wherever it is that Ipurchased from, I'm like that's
cool that it also does this ontop of me using it.
(08:45):
I think a lot of senior ads arelike hey, here's an old person
in a wheelchair, here's a doctor, we can get you a wheelchair,
we can get you a doctor, we canget you a bed, and it's super
generalized.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
It is interesting because the nature of a lot of
senior care it is supportingwhere they maybe have a
deficiency, like if they need awheelchair, if they need help
with personal care.
Like obviously it is supportive,supporting something that they
lack, but the visualized, likeyou mentioned, like a lot of the
basic stock or not even stock,but like most people assisted
(09:22):
living, home health, people thatare marketing to seniors you
nailed it where it's like ageneric elderly person that's
like seventies, eighties, withsomebody in scrubs or somebody
in a doctor's lab coat behindthem assisting them, which, even
if, like the words of the ad issaying like you know, you
deserve this, like get theindependence that you need, or
(09:43):
whatever.
Visually and subconsciously,seeing the different levels
somebody sitting in a chairversus somebody standing up it
makes the person in the chairinferior to that other person
and so seniors aren't relatingto it because they don't want to
be inferior, they don't wanthelp, because they don't think
that they need it.
And then even like their adultchildren, they see that and
(10:04):
they're like my mom was my hero.
My whole life I looked up toher.
She's on this pedestal.
That's not my mom, becauseshe's not weak and frail like
that Even if the person smilingin the wheelchair.
So it's really interesting thata lot of marketing to seniors
hasn't changed in a long time inthe sense that like visually
and a lot of times even in thewords, it paints the senior as
(10:25):
almost like a damsel in distressthat needs somebody to come and
help.
Rather, than the hero and theprovider is just helping them
get there.
What?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
has your team been doing that?
Like seniors, respond superwell to like your dev team on
the platform itself.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, the whole point is to make it really simple.
So there's a few things thathave been really helpful that
we're developing right now, butbasically, number one is to be
able to join any activity.
You want it to be three clicksor less activity.
You want it to be three clicksor less, something where, even
if they are kind of on thathigher end of the age group and
they're not as like tech savvy,that they can join and
(11:03):
participate.
And then we're also adding likea discussion thing so they can
have the live classes wherethey're interacting with their
peers.
We go and find the host, theteacher that's putting on the
class, and then throughout theweek they're able to text and
chat on the app with otherseniors, with the teacher.
So that's one big one thatwe're trying to help out with.
We're also building like alibrary with back end stuff, and
(11:27):
then one that I'm reallyexcited about for the senior
care providers or for ourselvesis trying to get the senior well
, just learn more about theirphysical and emotional wellbeing
.
So when they click register fora yoga class, we're asking
questions about like do you feelconfident getting in and out of
the shower?
Are you worried about fallingever?
(11:47):
Just questions that naturallywill come up with that.
So like a guitar class or pianoclass, it's like do you suffer
with arthritis?
Trying to understand wherethey're at physically.
And then we're making also achat feature.
It's not like a chat bot, butit's a real human that's going
to be asking the senior likehow's it going today?
What's going on?
You know how are you doing SueTo try to figure out trending
(12:09):
over time, if Sue's like catpasses away or she's like.
You know it's been really hardmy knee pain has really been
acting up to really understandwhere the senior's at.
So we know, you know they comefor yoga class and then we can
learn about them and say thispoint, they really could use
home health.
It's way earlier than Sue wouldhave ever actually clicked on a
(12:30):
home health ad because nothingcatastrophic has happened.
But it's early enough and theycan step in so that way sue
never falls, she never getsinjured and just lives longer.
So that's something we'rereally excited about to try to
help the senior physically andemotionally as well would
providers like have access tothat information at all?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
if sue needed, I don't know, like palliative care
, how would sue get it?
Or how would like someone knowsue situation, because a lot of
companies only look for aspecific type of candidate.
You know, maybe someone thathas cancer, someone that's like
handicapped to a degree wherethey can't move or they can't
(13:11):
walk yeah, like that's a greatquestion.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So I think a lot of the time providers get to the
scene too late, I call it toolittle, too late dilemma.
Where had they started eventhree or six months earlier?
That senior would never get tothe point where they're disabled
to a certain point to just helpthem be better.
And so more often than not,most providers currently are
getting to seniors way toolittle, way too late.
(13:41):
Because I mean helperly.
Last year we had a client hewas doing really, really well
and then he fell and got injuredand then he fell and he fell
and he fell and he passed awaywithin like 90 days, even though
he probably could have livedfor a few more years.
And it was because he didn'tget the home health and the
physical therapy and all thesethings that he should have
gotten way earlier.
But he was being resistantbecause he thought home health
(14:02):
was for like quote unquote oldpeople.
But as far as the providersconnecting with them, we
actually partner with thedifferent care providers.
So the first like nine monthswe used it just for helperly and
then we realized that thein-home personal care and
companionship and things that wedo is just a small piece of the
whole spectrum of services thatseniors need to live longer
(14:22):
lives and so we've started topartner with like Medicare,
insurance brokers, financialadvisors, pharmacists, assisted
living, home health, palliativecare, like you said, and they
are putting on these classes tokind of create a normal and
natural way for them to talk andeducate the seniors about the
different services so that waythey can engage.
The other side of that to beHIPAA compliant is, if a senior
(14:47):
you know, we know that they fitthe exact parameters like they
would be an excellent client orpatient for a home health
company, we have to de-identifythem.
So, basically, what we'rebuilding out is, within the app,
the care provider.
We can say like user one, two,three, four would be an
excellent client because she'shaving XYZ pains, or just saying
(15:07):
like this person could be anexcellent client because on the
back end we don't actually sharetoo many of the medical things,
but on the backside we knowthis is like the ideal criteria
for this home health company.
And then the home health companythrough the app messages hey,
user one, two, three, four, thisis ABC home health.
We'd love to schedule a freeconsultation.
We think that we could helpwith this.
(15:27):
And then, once the user engages, the senior engages with the
company, then it re-identifiesthem and they're able to get
services started.
So that's kind of how thecompanies can participate and
then putting on the class forthe company so that ABC Home
Health can put on a paintingclass totally for free, because
it's helpful for the seniors tojust get in front of and learn
more.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Yeah, where do you see it growing in like the next
few years in terms of the carethat it can provide and like the
technology developed?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, what I would love to have happen.
Our mission is to honorseniors' unique individual
purpose and values, and I wouldlove to have so many different
activities, so many differentdiscussion groups where there's
something all day, every day,for seniors to do.
That's not Fox, cnn or Facebook, yeah when they can actually
(16:18):
mingle and interact with others.
Ideally, one day they're makingtheir own little groups within
the app.
And then, on the care providerside, I think over the coming
years, what we'll be doing is,as we get all this data of where
the point of physical needs andemotional needs equals this
client's really needs homehealth, it'd be awesome to maybe
(16:40):
like incorporate some sort ofAI where it like just triggers
those points and we're gettingseniors care months and years
before they would have to givethem years and years on their
life.
So that's kind of where we'reheading is trying to get seniors
care earlier so they canbenefit the younger generations
longer.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Interesting.
You mentioned like the youngergenerations because, like when I
was a caregiver, I rememberlike some of the best times with
those that I cared for werewhen they were teaching me
something about like their life.
Do you think eventually, likeseniors will host like their own
classes, their own discussiongroups?
(17:19):
Maybe, like you, can bridge thegenerational gap between, like
someone who maybe has crossedthe threshold into 70 and
someone who's coming into like30, 40, 50.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, I think that's an awesome opportunity.
The professor of psychology atBYU actually talked about I
can't remember what it's calledbasically the purpose of
everybody's life in differentstages of their life.
In a teenage year, your purposeor what you're striving for is
to find some sort of uniqueidentity, but in the later years
, what gives you purpose isbeing able to share what you've
(17:52):
learned over your lifetime withother people.
It's legacy building is whatgives them purpose, and so
creating an opportunity for that, I think, is awesome, where
they can share what they'velearned over their 40-year
career and having kids and justover their lifespan ewell and
dannon is like the.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
The explorer stage is like 18 and 36 where you
explore areas of passion.
The builder stage is 36 to 54,where you use your talents to
create something.
The mentor stage is 54 to 72,where you share your experience
with others.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
The giver stage 72 to 90, where you use your
knowledge, passion and financesto advance a cause yep, and so a
lot of seniors are in thatmentor and giver phase and yet
companies are treating them likethey are the ones that need to
be given things.
So something that our clientrelations managers like their
goal.
Obviously we want more clients,but when they're going out
(18:50):
they're doing like luau's andall these fun things.
And it's to try to help theseniors like themselves again,
because a lot of the times ifthey get to the mentor and the
giver stage and they don't havea mentee or somebody to give to,
they feel like they'revalueless.
They had their builder stage.
They worked for 40 years, theyhad kids, they had grandkids,
(19:10):
but now the kids and grandkidsare grown up and they maybe come
around not as much as they'dlike to and so they don't have
anybody to mentor or give to.
So they feel valueless and sothey start to not like
themselves, they start to doubtwhat their life even meant.
And so, as we're going out like, we're trying to help them like
themselves again and be likeyou lived through crazy stuff.
(19:31):
You live through the advent ofthe internet and now AI, and
also tons of social movementslike the end of segregation and
wars, and they've learned allthese things, and so our goal is
to give them a mentee to beable to mentor, so that way they
can feel their value again.
I love.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
When you say, like, help them like themselves again,
it makes me think of likegiving the senior the wheel back
in their life versus them, justkind of like putting on cruise
control and sitting in the backseat.
Cruise control can't drive foryou, but that's the image that I
create in my mind is likegiving the wheel back to the
seniors and letting them kind ofdrive their life, be the hero,
(20:09):
be able to give back big time.
I don't know like.
I feel that a message like thisis unique to what senior care
providers are saying.
Now I guess there's a littlebias from working at the company
, but I don't see this messagepromoted very often.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Do you guys have plans other than to keep
reaching out to the oneindividual to get them liking
themselves again, to give them amentee, to give them control
their life?
Or, you know, you hope, to likebuild a brand, build a platform
?
Where do you want to likespread the message about this?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, Like I said, the mission is to honor seniors
individual purpose and value.
And so a lot of companies, likeI said, home health, assisted
living like a lot of theirmottos is like caring for you,
like family or just things likethat, and so that's their
mission, which is fine, and weultimately want to become kind
of the extension for a lot ofthese other companies to be able
(21:01):
to help the senior feel theirvalue without needing to change
their mission.
A lot of companies are very like, myopically focused on the
level of care and like we givethe very best care, which is
exceptional, but like we knowthey care about care, but they
also, more importantly on like aemotional and psychological
(21:21):
state for seniors.
They want somebody that's thebest mentee and the best person
that they can give to.
So we are trying to partnerwith a lot of different
companies to be able to givethat opportunity to their
clients or their residents.
So, long-term, partnering witha lot of companies and being
like the come to us if you wantyour seniors to emotionally
(21:42):
thrive and you just take care ofphysically thriving by getting
the best caregivers, the bestCNAs, the best nurses, things
like that.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
That's awesome.
I think that's a pretty goodplace to kind of wrap up.
I'm thinking, maybe, if youwant to share a little bit about
like how to get in touch, whatto look for things like to do,
if helperly connect was like anopportunity for senior care
provider.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, if you work with seniors, there's a few
things that you can do.
Making an account is reallysimple.
Like I said, we're trying tomake it for the lowest common
denominators like a senior thatbarely got their first computer
a week ago, like they can use it.
So if you want to help theseniors that you serve, to make
an account it's really easy.
(22:29):
You just go to apphelperlycom.
It takes like less than aminute to set up the account and
then if you're a care provideror you work as like an executive
director or marketing director,community liaison just send an
email to info at helperlycom,cause we're looking for more
partners and, like I said, it'stotally free of charge for you
to put on a fun activity.
So we have an assisted livingdoing like a painting class and
(22:50):
then just different fun things,and it's a great branding and
lead gen tool for you as well.
So those are kind of the twoways that you can participate
the best as a care provider.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
That's awesome.
Any last words that you canparticipate the best as a care
provider that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Any last words.
No, I'm excited for this newseason of Senior Care Academy.
We had some really awesomepeople last season and we're
just kind of dialing intogetting the most value.
So if anybody's interested inbeing on the podcast, reach out.
We're just trying to getinfluential people in the senior
care space to make it a greatcommunity.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
So yeah, awesome.
Thanks so much yeah.
Hey everybody, welcome to the Senior Care
Academy podcast, Excited tointroduce today's guest.
He's actually the CEO andfounder of Helperly and the
creator and mind behind HelperlyConnect, Caleb Richardson.
We're excited to have you on.
I guess we like the hosts ofthe show excited to talk a
little bit about Helperly andHelperly Connect today.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Yeah, I'm excited to chat as well.
It's been fun over like 30episodes back and forth.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
We've learned a lot, I think so it's exciting had
some big names on, so learned alot for sure.
Talk to us about Helperly itsinception and then the birth of
Helperly Connect.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
So Helperly came about.
It's been a few years now butthe Helperly the service side of
the company is, in essence it'sa personal care agency with a
focus on the companionship andkind of that personal connection
and that has been growing.
Started that because I have ahuge family and it was really
normal for me to see 30grandkids at my grandma's house
(01:03):
and then I realized that wasn'tnormal and so our goal is kind
of to make that possible and,like I said, we have an emphasis
on the personal connectionbecause they're realizing that
over the years, like I helpedout at my grandparents' house a
lot but what they really enjoyedwas being able to actually sit
down, like my grandma used to doscience days every Thursday or
Friday and we'd go to like theJordan River Parkway and she'd
(01:25):
show us trees and stuff andthat's what she cared about was
teaching.
So that's what we focus on.
And then Helperly Connect is areally simple app or platform
for seniors to connect and learnnew things.
So anything from like musicclasses, piano, guitar exercise,
like yoga, dancing, things likethat Basically anything that
(01:45):
you can think of held virtuallyin live interactive classes,
think like a Zoom call.
And the reason why we started.
That is, we wanted to be ableto give back to seniors in a way
, and we learned that it's over70% of seniors want to make
friends with their peers, andthen over like 90 or something
percent of people want to belifelong learners.
So we were able to make thatfor seniors and it's totally
(02:06):
free of charge to them, and itwas just a cool way to get in
front of more seniors as well totry to help help them get the
care that they need earlier.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
So it kind of sounds like I would say like help
really would be for in-home careservice oriented and then help
really connect.
Does that like tackle, likeloneliness, like what are some
of the main, I guess, late stageof life events that help really
connect tries to solve?
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, so one of the big ones that help really
connect is solving is that moreoften than not um, because most
seniors see themselves asyounger than they actually are
they're not engaging with theproviders that are actually able
to help them live healthierlives.
So, like home health or assistedliving, all these things that a
lot of seniors need but they'renot doing because they see an
(03:01):
ad with or like they're drivingpast the local assisted living,
it's like come and tour.
Today they're not going to go inand tour, but they will click
that they want to learn pianoand they'll join an app and then
we're able to put an assistedliving that same assisted living
that they drove past on thestreet can put on the class.
They're able to actually have aconversation about how it's
changed from the sixties, and sothat's one big one is just
(03:23):
really getting them the carethat they need earlier because
they're willing to interact withthe provider.
And then, like I said, theloneliness aspect is huge
because even if they do have areally supportive family or a
company that's coming in to helpmultiple times a week, they're
still going to be alone moreoften than having somebody there
.
So being able to connect withpeople just all throughout the
(03:46):
week and then on interests aswell.
So rather than just going toyour local senior center for
lunch and meeting random people,it's like they can show up to
the yoga class knowing thateverybody else that's there also
is interested in yoga andgetting healthier and everything
that yoga represents.
So it kind of solves a fewproblems.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
That's awesome.
Helpbird Connect's been out fora while now, like a year in
development.
What was its incubation period?
Look, I guess not incubation,but like the beta, like the
first versions of the website.
What were you doing?
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Great question.
So it's almost been a yearsince the idea and then just
launching it.
So it's almost been a yearsince the idea and then just
launching it.
And originally the idea came alittle bit out of frustration
because in 2023, I did so manyice cream socials, so many
bingos at assisted livings andsenior centers and handed out
hundreds of brochures, and thenI'd leave and just hope and pray
that they would need my carebecause odds are, in that moment
(04:43):
they didn't need what helprelease services were doing and
it was really frustrating.
So I was like how do I get infront of more seniors?
And then I had spent thousandsand thousands on like really
well, put together ads andthings like that and just
nothing was working.
So just about a year ago I waslike I bet I also stumbled on
(05:03):
the stat that seniors want tomake friends with other seniors,
and so I like pulled out myphone through a Facebook ad up
just saying hey, if you're over60 and you want to learn new
things and make friends, clickthe link below.
And then version one was thatFacebook ad.
And then I used Zapier, which isjust an automation software,
costs like nothing and Zapped assoon as they filled out the
(05:23):
Facebook form, it sent him anemail with like a zoom link and
people are showing up and havingreally cool experiences.
One of the things is just calleddaily connect, so they would
show up to daily connect and wehad one that was really cool
where a younger senior she waslike 67, 68.
And then there was an older,like 75, 78 person and the
(05:44):
younger one was still workingbut she got injured and wasn't
able to work anymore and she wasfeeling really like
directionless, really depressedand down.
And in that call or in thatdaily connect that was just a
zoom meeting that I sent outthrough an automated tool those
two were able to connect andthat older lady had actually had
(06:04):
that same injury and she's likeoh my gosh, you need to try
this, this and this.
And the younger lady at the endof it was like this was really
helpful, like I loved being heretoday, and so that's when I
realized that we should probablyturn it into more than just
like a meet and greet.
We started developing the appinto what it is today.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
So dang, actually I had no idea about that, yeah
that's so sweet.
That's like one a classic howthis business started story.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's super cool WithZapier and like automation and
marketing.
I think a lot of people wouldassume, probably, that like
seniors aren't familiar withlike technology.
(06:41):
But I guess, like whatassumptions were you making
about like just sending out azoom link?
And what assumptions were youmaking about like just sending
out a zoom link?
And then what have you learnedsince like marketing to seniors?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Yeah.
So the assumption was thatthey'd have a really hard time
and it's not true A lot of thetime like they have some sort of
exposure to it.
So before they actually got thezoom link, I sent out an email
with like a bunch of videos melike showing them how to make a
Zoom account, how to anyway, sotried to make it really basic,
but a lot of them ended up notactually needing it and the
(07:13):
marketing to seniors.
That's also an interestingthing is.
It started out because of thestatistic that over 70% want to
connect to new people.
I was like make new friends andthe click through rate on that
was way lower than like come andlearn new things.
So it was interesting.
So what you learned is thatseniors don't want to admit that
(07:33):
they're lonely, even though thevast, like a lot of them are,
or a lot of them are looking forthat connection, but they don't
want to admit it.
So we had to pivot to learnguitar, learn piano, come and
exercise interest-based stuff.
And then the connection and thecommunity was a secondary
(07:55):
benefit, which is a greaterbenefit, but it was.
We couldn't put that up frontbecause they didn't want to feel
helpless.
That's kind of a trend in a lotof marketing to seniors is that
they are the ones receiving thehelp rather than them being the
heroes of the story, and sothat was a huge shift is like
how do we, in all of ourmarketing efforts, make it that
helperly connect or helperly ourservices are just a resource to
(08:20):
help the senior get to thetotal outcome that they want and
be the hero of their own story?
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, hero is an interesting term.
When I think of hero, I guesslike for myself, like when I
purchase a product, I envisionmyself using it and then all of
like the benefits or the valueads that you see on like the
website or wherever it is that Ipurchased from, I'm like that's
cool that it also does this ontop of me using it.
(08:45):
I think a lot of senior ads arelike hey, here's an old person
in a wheelchair, here's a doctor, we can get you a wheelchair,
we can get you a doctor, we canget you a bed, and it's super
generalized.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
It is interesting because the nature of a lot of
senior care it is supportingwhere they maybe have a
deficiency, like if they need awheelchair, if they need help
with personal care.
Like obviously it is supportive,supporting something that they
lack, but the visualized, likeyou mentioned, like a lot of the
basic stock or not even stock,but like most people assisted
(09:22):
living, home health, people thatare marketing to seniors you
nailed it where it's like ageneric elderly person that's
like seventies, eighties, withsomebody in scrubs or somebody
in a doctor's lab coat behindthem assisting them, which, even
if, like the words of the ad issaying like you know, you
deserve this, like get theindependence that you need, or
(09:43):
whatever.
Visually and subconsciously,seeing the different levels
somebody sitting in a chairversus somebody standing up it
makes the person in the chairinferior to that other person
and so seniors aren't relatingto it because they don't want to
be inferior, they don't wanthelp, because they don't think
that they need it.
And then even like their adultchildren, they see that and
(10:04):
they're like my mom was my hero.
My whole life I looked up toher.
She's on this pedestal.
That's not my mom, becauseshe's not weak and frail like
that Even if the person smilingin the wheelchair.
So it's really interesting thata lot of marketing to seniors
hasn't changed in a long time inthe sense that like visually
and a lot of times even in thewords, it paints the senior as
(10:25):
almost like a damsel in distressthat needs somebody to come and
help.
Rather, than the hero and theprovider is just helping them
get there.
What?
Speaker 1 (10:33):
has your team been doing that?
Like seniors, respond superwell to like your dev team on
the platform itself.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Yeah, the whole point is to make it really simple.
So there's a few things thathave been really helpful that
we're developing right now, butbasically, number one is to be
able to join any activity.
You want it to be three clicksor less activity.
You want it to be three clicksor less, something where, even
if they are kind of on thathigher end of the age group and
they're not as like tech savvy,that they can join and
(11:03):
participate.
And then we're also adding likea discussion thing so they can
have the live classes wherethey're interacting with their
peers.
We go and find the host, theteacher that's putting on the
class, and then throughout theweek they're able to text and
chat on the app with otherseniors, with the teacher.
So that's one big one thatwe're trying to help out with.
We're also building like alibrary with back end stuff, and
(11:27):
then one that I'm reallyexcited about for the senior
care providers or for ourselvesis trying to get the senior well
, just learn more about theirphysical and emotional wellbeing
.
So when they click register fora yoga class, we're asking
questions about like do you feelconfident getting in and out of
the shower?
Are you worried about fallingever?
(11:47):
Just questions that naturallywill come up with that.
So like a guitar class or pianoclass, it's like do you suffer
with arthritis?
Trying to understand wherethey're at physically.
And then we're making also achat feature.
It's not like a chat bot, butit's a real human that's going
to be asking the senior likehow's it going today?
What's going on?
You know how are you doing SueTo try to figure out trending
(12:09):
over time, if Sue's like catpasses away or she's like.
You know it's been really hardmy knee pain has really been
acting up to really understandwhere the senior's at.
So we know, you know they comefor yoga class and then we can
learn about them and say thispoint, they really could use
home health.
It's way earlier than Sue wouldhave ever actually clicked on a
(12:30):
home health ad because nothingcatastrophic has happened.
But it's early enough and theycan step in so that way sue
never falls, she never getsinjured and just lives longer.
So that's something we'rereally excited about to try to
help the senior physically andemotionally as well would
providers like have access tothat information at all?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
if sue needed, I don't know, like palliative care
, how would sue get it?
Or how would like someone knowsue situation, because a lot of
companies only look for aspecific type of candidate.
You know, maybe someone thathas cancer, someone that's like
handicapped to a degree wherethey can't move or they can't
(13:11):
walk yeah, like that's a greatquestion.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
So I think a lot of the time providers get to the
scene too late, I call it toolittle, too late dilemma.
Where had they started eventhree or six months earlier?
That senior would never get tothe point where they're disabled
to a certain point to just helpthem be better.
And so more often than not,most providers currently are
getting to seniors way toolittle, way too late.
(13:41):
Because I mean helperly.
Last year we had a client hewas doing really, really well
and then he fell and got injuredand then he fell and he fell
and he fell and he passed awaywithin like 90 days, even though
he probably could have livedfor a few more years.
And it was because he didn'tget the home health and the
physical therapy and all thesethings that he should have
gotten way earlier.
But he was being resistantbecause he thought home health
(14:02):
was for like quote unquote oldpeople.
But as far as the providersconnecting with them, we
actually partner with thedifferent care providers.
So the first like nine monthswe used it just for helperly and
then we realized that thein-home personal care and
companionship and things that wedo is just a small piece of the
whole spectrum of services thatseniors need to live longer
(14:22):
lives and so we've started topartner with like Medicare,
insurance brokers, financialadvisors, pharmacists, assisted
living, home health, palliativecare, like you said, and they
are putting on these classes tokind of create a normal and
natural way for them to talk andeducate the seniors about the
different services so that waythey can engage.
The other side of that to beHIPAA compliant is, if a senior
(14:47):
you know, we know that they fitthe exact parameters like they
would be an excellent client orpatient for a home health
company, we have to de-identifythem.
So, basically, what we'rebuilding out is, within the app,
the care provider.
We can say like user one, two,three, four would be an
excellent client because she'shaving XYZ pains, or just saying
(15:07):
like this person could be anexcellent client because on the
back end we don't actually sharetoo many of the medical things,
but on the backside we knowthis is like the ideal criteria
for this home health company.
And then the home health companythrough the app messages hey,
user one, two, three, four, thisis ABC home health.
We'd love to schedule a freeconsultation.
We think that we could helpwith this.
(15:27):
And then, once the user engages, the senior engages with the
company, then it re-identifiesthem and they're able to get
services started.
So that's kind of how thecompanies can participate and
then putting on the class forthe company so that ABC Home
Health can put on a paintingclass totally for free, because
it's helpful for the seniors tojust get in front of and learn
more.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Yeah, where do you see it growing in like the next
few years in terms of the carethat it can provide and like the
technology developed?
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, what I would love to have happen.
Our mission is to honorseniors' unique individual
purpose and values, and I wouldlove to have so many different
activities, so many differentdiscussion groups where there's
something all day, every day,for seniors to do.
That's not Fox, cnn or Facebook, yeah when they can actually
(16:18):
mingle and interact with others.
Ideally, one day they're makingtheir own little groups within
the app.
And then, on the care providerside, I think over the coming
years, what we'll be doing is,as we get all this data of where
the point of physical needs andemotional needs equals this
client's really needs homehealth, it'd be awesome to maybe
(16:40):
like incorporate some sort ofAI where it like just triggers
those points and we're gettingseniors care months and years
before they would have to givethem years and years on their
life.
So that's kind of where we'reheading is trying to get seniors
care earlier so they canbenefit the younger generations
longer.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Interesting.
You mentioned like the youngergenerations because, like when I
was a caregiver, I rememberlike some of the best times with
those that I cared for werewhen they were teaching me
something about like their life.
Do you think eventually, likeseniors will host like their own
classes, their own discussiongroups?
(17:19):
Maybe, like you, can bridge thegenerational gap between, like
someone who maybe has crossedthe threshold into 70 and
someone who's coming into like30, 40, 50.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Yeah, I think that's an awesome opportunity.
The professor of psychology atBYU actually talked about I
can't remember what it's calledbasically the purpose of
everybody's life in differentstages of their life.
In a teenage year, your purposeor what you're striving for is
to find some sort of uniqueidentity, but in the later years
, what gives you purpose isbeing able to share what you've
(17:52):
learned over your lifetime withother people.
It's legacy building is whatgives them purpose, and so
creating an opportunity for that, I think, is awesome, where
they can share what they'velearned over their 40-year
career and having kids and justover their lifespan ewell and
dannon is like the.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
The explorer stage is like 18 and 36 where you
explore areas of passion.
The builder stage is 36 to 54,where you use your talents to
create something.
The mentor stage is 54 to 72,where you share your experience
with others.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
The giver stage 72 to 90, where you use your
knowledge, passion and financesto advance a cause yep, and so a
lot of seniors are in thatmentor and giver phase and yet
companies are treating them likethey are the ones that need to
be given things.
So something that our clientrelations managers like their
goal.
Obviously we want more clients,but when they're going out
(18:50):
they're doing like luau's andall these fun things.
And it's to try to help theseniors like themselves again,
because a lot of the times ifthey get to the mentor and the
giver stage and they don't havea mentee or somebody to give to,
they feel like they'revalueless.
They had their builder stage.
They worked for 40 years, theyhad kids, they had grandkids,
(19:10):
but now the kids and grandkidsare grown up and they maybe come
around not as much as they'dlike to and so they don't have
anybody to mentor or give to.
So they feel valueless and sothey start to not like
themselves, they start to doubtwhat their life even meant.
And so, as we're going out like, we're trying to help them like
themselves again and be likeyou lived through crazy stuff.
(19:31):
You live through the advent ofthe internet and now AI, and
also tons of social movementslike the end of segregation and
wars, and they've learned allthese things, and so our goal is
to give them a mentee to beable to mentor, so that way they
can feel their value again.
I love.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
When you say, like, help them like themselves again,
it makes me think of likegiving the senior the wheel back
in their life versus them, justkind of like putting on cruise
control and sitting in the backseat.
Cruise control can't drive foryou, but that's the image that I
create in my mind is likegiving the wheel back to the
seniors and letting them kind ofdrive their life, be the hero,
(20:09):
be able to give back big time.
I don't know like.
I feel that a message like thisis unique to what senior care
providers are saying.
Now I guess there's a littlebias from working at the company
, but I don't see this messagepromoted very often.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Do you guys have plans other than to keep
reaching out to the oneindividual to get them liking
themselves again, to give them amentee, to give them control
their life?
Or, you know, you hope, to likebuild a brand, build a platform
?
Where do you want to likespread the message about this?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Yeah, Like I said, the mission is to honor seniors
individual purpose and value.
And so a lot of companies, likeI said, home health, assisted
living like a lot of theirmottos is like caring for you,
like family or just things likethat, and so that's their
mission, which is fine, and weultimately want to become kind
of the extension for a lot ofthese other companies to be able
(21:01):
to help the senior feel theirvalue without needing to change
their mission.
A lot of companies are very like, myopically focused on the
level of care and like we givethe very best care, which is
exceptional, but like we knowthey care about care, but they
also, more importantly on like aemotional and psychological
(21:21):
state for seniors.
They want somebody that's thebest mentee and the best person
that they can give to.
So we are trying to partnerwith a lot of different
companies to be able to givethat opportunity to their
clients or their residents.
So, long-term, partnering witha lot of companies and being
like the come to us if you wantyour seniors to emotionally
(21:42):
thrive and you just take care ofphysically thriving by getting
the best caregivers, the bestCNAs, the best nurses, things
like that.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
That's awesome.
I think that's a pretty goodplace to kind of wrap up.
I'm thinking, maybe, if youwant to share a little bit about
like how to get in touch, whatto look for things like to do,
if helperly connect was like anopportunity for senior care
provider.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
Yeah, if you work with seniors, there's a few
things that you can do.
Making an account is reallysimple.
Like I said, we're trying tomake it for the lowest common
denominators like a senior thatbarely got their first computer
a week ago, like they can use it.
So if you want to help theseniors that you serve, to make
an account it's really easy.
(22:29):
You just go to apphelperlycom.
It takes like less than aminute to set up the account and
then if you're a care provideror you work as like an executive
director or marketing director,community liaison just send an
email to info at helperlycom,cause we're looking for more
partners and, like I said, it'stotally free of charge for you
to put on a fun activity.
So we have an assisted livingdoing like a painting class and
(22:50):
then just different fun things,and it's a great branding and
lead gen tool for you as well.
So those are kind of the twoways that you can participate
the best as a care provider.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
That's awesome.
Any last words that you canparticipate the best as a care
provider that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Any last words.
No, I'm excited for this newseason of Senior Care Academy.
We had some really awesomepeople last season and we're
just kind of dialing intogetting the most value.
So if anybody's interested inbeing on the podcast, reach out.
We're just trying to getinfluential people in the senior
care space to make it a greatcommunity.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
So yeah, awesome.
Thanks so much yeah.
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