Emily White, experienced senior care professional and social entrepreneur, joins GeriJoy as Vice President of Business Development
GeriJoy’s service is love, and it's wonderful.
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 29, 2014
Originally from Marblehead, MA, Emily White graduated from NYU’s Silver School of Social Work where she received a NIMH fellowship and MSW in Social Welfare Management. In 1999, as Founder and CEO of a pre-Friendster social networking company, Emily designed a unique Internet service that solved a 90 billion dollar relocated employee retention problem for Fortune 1000 corporations, and Emily currently owns five patents in online social networking. Prior to this entrepreneurial experience, she held management and consulting positions specializing in organizational development, training and sales.
In 2009, Emily was personally impacted by the substandard and extremely neglectful care her father received across the continuum of care, including a leading hospital, skilled nursing facility and hospice organization. She thus returned to the field of social work to specialize in aging and eldercare with the goal of experiencing and uncovering critical, unmet needs in the industry and to work on the solutions. After five years of hands-on, front-line experience with older adults and family members, treating the psychosocial aspects of their lives, she is now focused on her goal of using technology to facilitate real-time problem solving communication and relationship building in the area of patient care transitions and aging in place.
Emily recently joined the founding team of GeriJoy, a company started by MIT researchers to improve quality of life for seniors and caregivers through friendly technology. The GeriJoy Companion, GeriJoy's flagship service, is a virtual pet and companion for Alzheimer’s and dementia care. It is available 24/7 and is supported by GeriJoy’s worldwide team of remote care staff who guide the pet’s speech to provide elders with the experience of having an always-available companion that can talk with them about family photos, positive memories, etc. The service also reports back to caregivers, improving care management insight for medical providers and promoting peace of mind for families living with dementia.
Emily said of the GeriJoy Companion, “One cannot help but reach out from the dark recesses of one’s mind to connect with a kitty or puppy that tells you how beautiful you look. GeriJoy's sweet, compassionate companions evoke comforting memories from one's past. The warmth of a pet's unconditional love brings forth positive emotions and a desire to interact and connect in a way that nurtures and heals both patients and the stress of family members. Yes, GeriJoy’s service is love, and it's wonderful.”
About GeriJoy
GeriJoy makes dementia care cost-effective and joyful. GeriJoy's specially-trained remote caregivers offer 24x7 companionship, supervision, and clinical support for older adults through tablet-based avatars, improving care, increasing peace of mind, and lowering overall cost of care. The avatars appear as adorable talking pets, allowing GeriJoy to build joyful friendships with people who are otherwise difficult to engage due to cognitive, memory, or behavioral issues. The startup has won numerous accolades from organizations like AARP, TEDMED, and the US Senate, and is currently being deployed at leading care providers across the US. See GeriJoy in action at http://gerijoy.com/video#CustomerStories.