Fighting Loneliness with 'Family On-Demand' with Andrew Parker, CEO of Papa

Updated: Nov 5, 2021

Fighting Loneliness with 'Family On-Demand' with Andrew Parker, CEO and Founder of Papa

We are facing considerable loneliness in our world right now. Not only for our older adults but our younger generation as well. We are searching for meaningful connections. How do we create connections and provide support systems for older adults and support them in their health and aging journey?

We shine a light on people, stories, and businesses that bring about positive change and impact our world for good. In this episode, I have a meaningful conversation with Andrew Parker, Founder and CEO of Papa, about his mission to create a company with a goal to support older adults and their families throughout the aging journey. Andrew is a passionate and successful Executive. He brings his experience and wisdom to our conversation and his love of older adults is evident in his story and mission. How wonderful that a company was created where everyone wins- older adults, families, and the employees.

"Papa pairs older adults and families with Papa Pals for companionship and assistance with everyday tasks. We offer programs to health plans, providers, employers, and consumers." - joinpapa.com

Our conversation led us to talk about loneliness, health disparities, social isolation, the impact of covid, and how our health is directly affected by these concerns. We talk about what it looks like to be Papa Pal, how meaningful those intergenerational connections can be, and a call to our younger generation to serve and support others. There is a tremendous need to provide support services for older adults and family caregivers- Not only does Papa support older adults through the Pals program but it also steps in to offer healthcare support through virtual visits, Papa Docs, while also utilizing health insurance programs and Medicare Advantage. We look at how this only improves our healthcare system. I'm cheering them on as they are making an impact to provide a better way of life for our older adults.

Visit joinpapa.com for more information.

Andrew has spent his career focusing on healthcare technology and service. In late 2017, Andrew founded Papa, a company that offers “Family On-Demand!” by connecting older adults and families to college students for companionship, assistance, and transportation. He started the company to support his own grandfather, whom he endearingly addressed as “Papa”.

Andrew has a passion for healthcare, technology, and people. This combination drove him to build Papa, an ongoing endeavor to support older adults and families. Papa has grown to 85 employees and over 5,000 students on the platform in 20 states. Prior to Papa, Andrew ran Health System Sales and Strategy for MDLIVE.com, a large telehealth provider. Andrew was one of the first 15 employees of MDLIVE which has grown to over 300 employees and 30M members. In this role, Andrew helped to facilitate multi-year relationships for some of the nation’s largest health systems and employers as well as design virtual care products which has now become a ubiquitous part of healthcare.

Andrew received his Bachelor’s in Finance from Florida State University and his Certified Employee Benefit Specialist certification from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Andrew is a YCombinator alumnus. Andrew resides in Miami, FL with his dog Chewie.

We are not medical professionals and are not providing any medical advice. If you have any medical questions, we recommend that you talk with a medical professional of your choice. willGather has taken care in selecting its speakers but the opinions of our speakers are theirs alone. Thank you for your continued interest in our podcasts.