GeriJoy’s Avatar-Based Care Companions to be Available in Mandarin through Chinese Government Funded Healthcare Company Nanjing CAM Medical Technologies
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 29, 2014 -- GeriJoy employs specially-trained remote caregivers who offer 24x7 companionship, supervision, and clinical support for older adults through tablet-based avatars. The avatars appear as adorable talking pets such as “Buddy the Dog,” allowing GeriJoy to build joyful friendships with people who are otherwise difficult to engage due to cognitive, memory, or behavioral issues. The startup was founded by MIT researchers and has won numerous accolades for its potential to improve care, increase peace of mind, and lower overall cost of care. So far, the GeriJoy Companion service has been offered in English only, with remote caregivers employed primarily in the Philippines.
Victor Wang, CEO of GeriJoy, remarked: “One of our original inspirations for starting GeriJoy was my family’s experience: when my grandmother lived by herself in Taiwan, we felt the negative impact that loneliness and social isolation had on her overall health. We've wanted for some time now to make an impact for Chinese-speaking older adults, and I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to work with Nanjing CAM to tap into this vast market.”
GeriJoy has previously announced its desire to expand into the Chinese senior care market, and has received numerous accolades including winning the Chinese ministry-level Chunhui Cup award for entrepreneurship and innovation; coverage by Xinhua News Agency, the government-operated and largest news agency in China; and a number invitations to participate in exclusive delegations to meet with investors and government leaders in China.
Because of decades of government-mandated family planning through the “One-Child Policy,” most working-age Chinese people are now solely responsible for taking care of two aging parents, in addition to aging grandparents. The difficulty of providing senior care in China is further exacerbated by unprecedented cultural and socioeconomic shifts which are causing families to become less nuclear, and increasing the demand for Western-style senior care services. There are about 200 million seniors in China today, and by 2050, the elderly population in China is projected to exceed the entire population of the US.
Steven Gold, President of Nanjing CAM commented: "I have known Victor and his team for a number of years now, since they were involved in Blueprint Health. The co-founders are extremely talented and hardworking individuals who have a passion for their work. When the opportunity arose to work with them on developing the China market it was an opportunity that Nanjing CAM was extremely excited about. We see many applications for Buddy the Dog in China and look forward to introducing him to a new audience."
Elaine Zhao, the office manager of Nanjing CAM, added: "We are looking to brand GeriJoy for the local China market and customer, while maintaining all the excellent technological achievements that the product brings. The China customer likes US-based technology solutions and we believe that the GeriJoy solution will be a premium product offering in China."
The partnership between GeriJoy and Nanjing CAM also provides GeriJoy with access to the local workforce in China, enabling GeriJoy to offer its cost-effective remote caregiver service to Mandarin or Cantonese speaking populations in the US.
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, the US Senate, and the government of China, and is currently being deployed at leading care providers across the US. See GeriJoy in action at http://gerijoy.com/video#CustomerStories
About Nanjing CAM
Nanjing CAM Medical Technologies Ltd. provides healthcare and wellness services in China. Funded both privately and by the government of China, Nanjing CAM is led by a team of management, marketing, and medical experts who are co-located in both the US and China. The company is an investor in the Happy Change (http://www.happy06.com) obesity and weight-loss coaching platform, and is now committed to bring GeriJoy to the health and wellness markets in China. For more info, visit http://www.njkpm.com.
Victor Wang, GeriJoy Inc., http://gerijoy.com, 1-855-437-4569, [email protected]
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