When Brown University alumna Liz Hamburg launched her remote and in-person tech support service for seniors, Candoo Tech, she wanted to help people like her father, Morton, who needed technology to remain safe, independent and engaged.
As the coronavirus pandemic has forced people into their homes and isolation, her service has become a lifeline. Seniors, one of the country's most vulnerable populations, now must rely on technology to complete daily activities.
Last August, Candoo Tech was operating in the New York metropolitan area, offering in-person and on-demand support, or telephone services, where a concierge might assist a senior with fixing a broken product, setting up a new device or teaching them a new skill.
Now, the company has gone completely remote to avoid any further spread of the virus to the elderly population. Candoo is operating nationally in 12 states. Through Candoo, elderly people have learned to use Zoom to communicate with family members order groceries online and navigate through doctor portals.
“Our goals have always been around how to use technology to decrease social isolation and improve health,” said Hamburg, who is also on the President’s Advisory Council for Brown University’s Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship. “But this has really come to the forefront now as people are literally isolated. They are living alone. They are afraid. They are bored. They can’t be in touch with their family. Realizing that technology can really open up the world to them has been incredible.”
Candoo has recently grown its team to keep up with the new demand and launched a new remote-only membership.
The startup has also partnered with a Russian-speaking social servicing agency that will assist native Russian speakers in New York. Additionally, the company is working with senior living facilities, including Brookdale, which operates more than 800 senior living communities and retirement communities in the U.S.
While Hamburg said she eventually plans to resume in-person sessions once the public health crisis has waned, social distancing has shown her how much the company can do remotely and accelerated Candoo's plans to go national.
After all, the senior population represents a huge and growing swath of the U.S. There were more than 52 million Americans over the age of 65 in 2019, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, the number of people over the age of 65 is expected to reach 75 million by 2030. Hamburg points out that there is a huge shortage of caregivers even as that population grows.
Candoo Tech is a public benefit corporation, meaning the company is for-profit but with stated social goals. Hamburg said it has been amazing to watch the company help seniors overcome sometimes-visceral fears of technology.
For instance, one woman called Candoo to have the company show her nearly 105-year-old father at a senior living facility how to use his iPhone to take pictures that he needed to send to his doctor.
“The fact that we can, in an hour or two, or a few sessions, get people to the point where they feel empowered by their technology and feel excited, and open their eyes to the fact that it's not something to be afraid of, but something that will actually help them, has been really amazing to see,” said Hamburg.
