A new report of unpaid family caregivers as part of ongoing studies of this market segment for the AARP-led Project Catalyst has revealed that trust issues could hobble the potential entrepreneurs seeking to provide support services online.
The research, conducted by HITLAB, noted that the most common rationale behind this thinking is that they have an aversion to receiving help inside of their home from people they don’t know.
One caregiver said: “I am protective and want to make sure whoever
I hire is someone reliable, and would not take advantage of my parents … I want people coming in who I know, who are not going to hit and run, who will stand by their work, who will be safe. I don’t want a bad experience.”
That news could work either way for companies such as Honor and Hometeam that provide the online scheduling support for seniors. It could either put them on the defensive, or underscore the need for the thorough vetting job they do.
Considering that the report estimates more than 40 million serve as unpaid caregivers, only 6.9 percent have used digital health tech.
Additionally it noted that priorities for caregiver technology included:
- Supporting medication refill and pickup (79 percent);
- Managing medical appointments (77.9 percent);
- Assessing health needs and conditions (77.5 percent);
- ensuring home safety (77.5 percent); and
- monitoring medication adherence (77.2 percent)
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
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