ORLANDO, Fla. — As of August 2018, Papa expands to the Orlando and Jacksonville markets to assist seniors and elders with transportation, household chores, and technology. Papa’s mission to cure loneliness for seniors is aligned with their goals to bring on energetic college students who aspire to bridge the generational gap and give companionship to senior citizens. There are no signs of stopping the growth as they are currently in 11 cities throughout Florida.
Because of their expansion to the Orlando and Jacksonville markets, Papa will be recruiting qualified candidates at University Central Florida, Rollins College, Full Sail University, Valencia College, Seminole State College, University of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Edward Waters College, and Chamberlain College of Nursing in the upcoming weeks.
“I am excited to say that we are on track expanding Papa throughout the state of Florida by the end of year,” says CEO and Founder Andrew Parker. “We have realized that loneliness in America is an epidemic not many people are talking about. As the life expectancy keeps increasing we are also finding more people with the feelings of isolation and desolation. Our Papa Pals are well-trained companions and we listen to our members’ feedback to keep improving for them.”
He adds, “Through our data we noticed that a first visit may last an hour or two, but recurring users of Papa show longer visits up to 10 hours. This shows us that we are on our way to curing senior’s loneliness while two generations connect through board games, technology, daily errands or doctors’ visits.”
COO, Alfredo Vaasmonde says, “We are seeing great growth. As we notice more demand is needed in different markets we strategically get after it and make it happen. We are excited to help seniors in these areas and make a difference.”
More than 40 percent of seniors experience loneliness on a regular basis, according to a recent University of California, San Francisco study and more than half of these respondents said they would like providers to connect them to people or activities in their community to help them stay healthy (*see note 1). In an AARP study it stated that loneliness is also linked to health issues and can lead to death (*see note 2). Papa has been listening to these studies and is taking action to prevent these issues and show seniors that no matter their age they can still participate in activities and feel accepted.
Cited Information:
Note 1: Perissinotto, C. M. (2012, July 23). Loneliness in Older PersonsA Predictor of Functional Decline and Death. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1188033
Note 2: Anderson, G. Oscar. Loneliness Among Older Adults: A National Survey of Adults 45+. Washington, DC: AARP Research, September 2010. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00064.001
About Papa:
Papa, Inc. is a Miami based startup that opened late 2017. Papa provides assistance to its senior members throughout South Florida, Sarasota, Tampa, Fort Myers, Naples, Jacksonville and Orlando. Papa plans to expand to 4 different states at the beginning of next year.
URL: https://www.joinpapa.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/join_papa
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinpapa/
Download App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/join-papa/id1105425605?mt=8
Instagram: @join_papa
Related link: https://www.joinpapa.com/
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