Dwell at Home’s Rod Palmer and his team have been offering extra services to the elderly, the population the company serves, during COVID-19.
Dwell at Home – a Birmingham-based startup that uses an app to connect those who need in-home senior care to those who provide it – is going the extra mile to help the elderly during COVID-19, the segment of the population the company serves.
For the past month, Dwell at Home has offered free errand days for the elderly every Wednesday, where, at no cost, the company will deliver goods like groceries, dry cleaning and more to seniors so they can avoid getting out in public and avoid having to pay extra fees from other companies who offer home delivery.
“We want to keep the elderly home and safe,” said Mike Clark, cofounder of Dwell at Home. “We’ll go pick up their groceries or whatever delivery needs to be done. We don’t want them to have to pay to have things delivered.”
Dwell at Home’s employees leave items on participants’ porches to keep in line with social distancing guidelines. Seniors in Alabaster, Pelham, Hoover, Vestavia Hills and Homewood are eligible, and anyone over 62 can utilize the service.
Clark launched Dwell at Home with cofounder Rod Palmer earlier this year after visiting a member of his church at a nursing home and noticing that, outside of church visitors, no one had been to see her for three months. Since then, Clark and Palmer, who are both 59 and admittedly not tech-savvy before launching Dwell at Home, have created an app that is intentional in the way it matches seniors with care partners based on factors like personality, hobbies, interest, preferences and careers.
“We take the dynamics of a person’s life and match that person with someone like them,” Palmer said. “Our algorithm is smart, and the more detailed you are, the more perfect fit we can find you.”
Since its launch in January, Dwell at Home has grown to a network of 54 care seekers, 152 caregivers and three employees. The app offers services ranging from long-term care to one-time care needs, covering anything a senior may need. If a service needed is not there, a care seeker can request for it to be added. Caregivers are vetted by screenings and background checks to ensure safety for care seekers.
“The average family in the U.S. spends 13 hours a month finding care for a senior loved one,” Clark said. “It’s a hassle to find care. We reduce the time to find a quality caregiver to minutes instead of hours and days.”
The Birmingham Business Alliance’s Vice President of Innovation and Technology Jon Nugent has worked closely with the company as an advisor.
“This outreach provides an invaluable service to some of our most in-need populations,” He said. “Dwell at Home’s commitment to serving senior and elderly populations is central to their business and a benefit to the community.”
By the beginning of 2021, Dwell at Home hopes to expand into Huntsville and Mobile before venturing into the Florida market.