Revolutionizing Aging: The Path to Success After Carlow
From RN to CEO
Carlow University was just the first step in alumni Mary Jo Dietrich’s path to success in the senior home care industry. With her education in the medical field and years of experience as a nurse and a small business owner of a senior care agency, Mary Jo has found a way to revolutionize aging for seniors in need of care.
By 2056, its expected that the number of seniors in the U.S. will be larger than the number of children. This means that the senior population will have nearly doubled from today.
Yet, 90 percent of aging seniors currently would prefer to age in their homes. With this trend being almost certain to continue, the seniors of our future might be facing difficulties finding care.
Mary Jo Dietrich is taking these staggering statistics and revolutionizing how we deal with care for aging seniors.
Revolutionizing Aging as Business Owner
Since finishing her associates degree from Carlow University in anesthesia technology in 1998, Mary Jo received her RN in 2000 from UPMC St. Margaret’s School of Nursing and completed her BSN at Waynesburg University two years later.
After over 15 years working in the hospital as a registered nurse, Mary Jo’s experience inspired her to open her own home care agency for seniors, At Home Seniors Services, in the Pittsburgh area.
Not only has Mary Jo taken on the role as founder, owner, and CEO of At Home Senior Services, she also uses her RN to consult with family and assess patients in need of home care. Since At Home Senior Services’ inception, Mary Jo has assessed and helped over 800 families.
While Mary Jo has found success in her senior care business and been able to help fill the need in care for the aging population, she has found another solution to senior home care in a fast-paced, technological world.
Creating an Industry Disruptor with Caregogi
In 2016, Mary Jo created Caregogi.com, a new take on finding home care for seniors. This new online take is an industry disruptor in the senior home care industry, which before now, has not seen much change.
Caregogi is an online service that connects families with care providers for their senior loved one. It features a unique algorithm, based on Mary Jo’s caregiver and senior industry expertise. Caregogi then uses the algorithm to match a senior’s needs and wants with a caregiver.
Currently, Caregogi has 2,000 care providers on their platform and already assisted seniors with home care in the Pittsburgh area.
Caregogi acts as an online solution to the senior home care market, which is currently dominated by home care agencies. It provides a more affordable, independent, and easy way of selecting a care provider than agencies.
Having an online space for care providers and seniors to connect removes the agency from the process. Prices are then able to be cut in half, and families are given peace of mind from the selection and hiring process of their own care provider.
Setting up for Success
Changing an industry standard is a daunting task. However, Mary Jo was not afraid to take on the challenge, especially knowing it involved making lives of seniors happier.
Alpha Lab, a nationally ranked startup accelerator in Pittsburgh and program of Innovative Works, was also not afraid to help take on this challenge. They have taken notice of Caregogi. Out of 180 applicants, Alpha Lab has chosen Caregogi to be apart of their exclusive program . Innovative Works has helped bring success to high-growth innovative solution companies like NoWait, ModCloth, ShowClix, and Wombat Security.
With Alpha Lab offering a network of top entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors, Caregogi is set for success.
Alpha Lab’s guidance and Mary Jo’s expertise is allowing senior home care to become a reality for those in need. Using Mary Jo’s compassion and experience, Caregogi is evolving the senior care industry one senior at a time.