When George Koenig couldn't find reliable care for his elderly parents living out of state in the late 1990s, the career executive took matters into his own hands. In 2001, he founded a nationally qualified senior home care service. The certified company was one of the most successful companies in the U.S. before its sale in 2020, accounting for the top 5% of industry sales and 1% of profits.
The 69-year-old New Jersey resident, who has been married for 36 years and has two grown daughters, has been happily retired since selling his senior home care service, but is survived by so many friends, acquaintances and colleagues. , and how their loved ones died. They struggle to find affordable care when they need it.
The need for services like this is a national issue, and especially here in Florida.
According to the Florida Home Care Association, approximately 350,000 seniors in Florida rely on home care services to assist with activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, shopping, and cleaning.
Additionally, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity predicts that by 2029, Florida will need approximately 101,000 home care aides. Currently, an estimated 73,000 home health aides work in a variety of settings.
As the baby boomer generation ages, the need for affordable home health care will only increase, and Koenig has experienced this reality both personally and professionally.
“After 20 years of experience in this industry, we know there are big problems to solve, and specifically, when it comes to senior home care, there is no middle ground for families and care providers. ”Koenig explained.
“The industry has two options: 1) expensive home care agencies with little autonomy, control, or transparency for care providers and families; and 2) an 'underground care market.' This often means hiring a neighbor, acquaintance, or stranger from Craigslist. Yes, the latter option may be cheaper, but it's also less reliable and isn't covered by medical or liability insurance. ”
So Koenig decided to do something about it. He founded and launched eCaregivers earlier this year. He believes this will become the “Uber of home care.”
“Just like Uber transformed the taxi industry, providing a new platform that directly connects users and drivers, eCaregivers is revolutionizing the home care industry by directly connecting families and care providers without traditional agency fees. We believe that will change,” he said.
Mechanism for care recipients
Potential customers can perform a free search by visiting eCaregivers.com and entering their zip code in the search bar. eCaregivers has potential care providers in all 50 states.
Users do not need to sign up or divulge any personal information to perform a search.
Potential customers can search and learn about available care providers in their area.
To contact a healthcare provider, users must select a subscription plan (basic plans start at $14.99 per month, premium plans at $29.99 per month, and if you choose a year-round subscription, the average monthly cost is (reduced to $9.99 and $11.99, respectively). .
“We made the registration process quick and easy,” Koenig said. “Users typically complete within eight minutes.”
After paying and creating a profile, users enter information about the care recipient, including location, health, skills needed, schedule, and preferences for the type of care provider.
This allows users to create job postings seeking care for care recipients.
The platform allows all parties to meet by video conference before an agreement is reached between the care seeker and the caregiver.
Koenig says that users, both care recipients and caregivers, appreciate the flexibility the platform provides, especially when it comes to payments (more on this later).
How are eCaregivers different?
The eCaregivers platform differs from other online care search tools in several important ways.
First, to search for caregivers in a specific area for free, users do not have to first reveal their email address or other personal information. Therefore, by familiarizing yourself with the process and options, users will not be at risk of receiving a large number of unwanted emails and advertisements.
In contrast, when a user searches for a caregiver on popular sites such as seniorliving.org, caring.com, caregiving.com, and aplaceformom.com, the user must disclose all of this information before being allowed to search. There is.
eCaregivers searched for potential caregivers within 40 miles of a South Florida ZIP code and found about 100 people. If I had set the setting to 50 miles, I would have doubled my options.
The second way eCaregivers differs is by providing the payment infrastructure for all parties involved to enable cost-effective service transactions. This is a way to mimic the Uber model.
Think of it like this: eCaregivers claim to be Uber, but home health agencies are like hiring a limousine service.
Koenig stressed that he has nothing against home health agencies — after all, he has owned them for nearly 20 years — but in today's era of inflation, agency involvement has Those in need of services who believe that the cost of home health care is often too high for too many people to afford.
eCaregivers users can pay their caregivers through one of three options:
Direct off-platform payments via cash, check, Venmo, etc. Both parties agree to this. Credit card payments (for 1099 IRS filings for healthcare providers): Credit card payments allow a payment processor to charge your credit card for your healthcare provider's hours worked within 24 hours after the shift is completed. , and send that amount directly to your healthcare provider within 72 hours. . (“Care providers love this quick payment solution,” says Koenig.) W2 Employee Payroll: Users submit weekly timesheets and the platform HomeWork Solutions withholds taxes. while paying the care provider. HomeWork Solutions will also file taxes on your behalf.
The goal of this financial platform is to reduce costs for users while allowing caregivers to increase their take-home pay without having to share wages with an agency.
Why caregivers also love this platform
Caregivers are independent contractors and not employees of eCaregiver, so to be listed on the platform all care providers must first provide the following:
Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Number for background check purposes. Signed acknowledgment of automatic liability coverage policy. In addition, all care seekers enrolled in premium plans must have their preferred care provider complete a more extensive background check before utilizing the platform's care scheduling tools.
Koenig explained that liability policies and background checks give everyone extra safety and peace of mind.
Peace Aging Care founder Trish Colucci Barbosa, a registered nurse and longtime geriatric care manager, has known and worked with Koenig since he founded the senior home care service more than 20 years ago. and a fan of the eCaregivers platform.
“eCaregivers’ service is amazing,” she said. “This is a very well thought out platform with all the features you need to make your private care as safe and convenient as possible. This is more than can be said about other online or direct hire sites and resources. George's industry experience gives eCaregivers both the tools and protections families need to safely hire the caregiver of their choice, and at a fraction of the cost often associated with this type of care. Now I can provide it to my family.”
And as the platform expands, Koenig envisions going international (he has eight international patents related to it) and one day expanding into other areas such as child care and pet care. The plan is to also provide home services.
“Our platform is a game-changer for families and seniors who want to control their care needs without the high costs and limitations of traditional agencies,” he said. “We wanted to build something that truly supports seniors and their families and gives them control over their care needs in an accessible and transparent way. We are always looking for partners who are passionate about transforming private paid services for the greater good.
