An Industry Disruptor: Changing Senior Care

Gaining Education and Experience as a Business Owner

David Dietrich, certified Achiever in Small Business Management from the Katz Graduate School of Business, is changing the senior care industry with a new, innovative solution that makes senior home care easier to access and more affordable.

Prior to his certification from the Katz Graduate Sschool of Business from the University of Pittsburgh, David received his undergraduate degree in Marketing Management in 1984 from Robert Morris University. Since then, David has also completed his Master’s Degree in International Business from Point Park University in 1995. Following the completion of his Master’s Degree, he earned his PhD in International Business from Berne University in 2000.

In addition to his education, David is also a board member of Partners for Quality, a member of the National Aging in Place Council, and a member of Southwestern Partnership for Aging. He also is certified in Family Business Advising from the Family Firm Institute in Boston.

He has further accumulated over thirty years of experience managing businesses, specifically his own. David, along with his wife Mary Jo, have founded two businesses in the senior home care industry.

Changing Senior Care as an Industry Disruptor

In 2007, At Home Senior Services was formed as an in-home senior care agency. It provides home care for seniors in the Pittsburgh area.

David and Mary Jo have found success in At Home Senior Services since its creation. However, they have created a new way to fill the care need for the aging population. This solution is 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, home care agencies currently dominate. 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, David and Mary Jo were 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 the expertise of David and Mary Jo 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.