You might be familiar with this: an eighty-year-old, strong and agile, and another eighty-year-old, bedridden, often forgetting faces they have known all their life. This might be your parent or a grandparent. Gerocare, a health tech brand, is flipping the script on elder care with improved and swift access to geriatric medical care or elderly support services.
While several factors contribute to healthy ageing among the elderly, such as genetics, environmental exposure, and education, access to standard geriatric care is a major influence. Traditionally, elderly people in Nigeria have been primarily cared for by relatives. However, with the prevalence of emigration from the country in recent years, many adult Nigerians now live far from home, with demanding careers and business pressures consuming more of their time. This growing physical and emotional distance has left the elderly more vulnerable and at risk of neglect or sudden health crises.
Without relatives or sponsors close to these seniors, many families struggle to secure consistent, high-quality medical support, such as routine check-ups, diagnostics, and prescriptions for their elderly. This is what Gerocare is solving.
The silent crisis of Nigerian senior care
One 2022 study revealed that there is no direct constitutional provision for the healthcare needs of the ageing population in Nigeria. There is also no compulsory provision for federal retirees aged 60 years and older in the Nigerian Health Insurance Act of 2022.
“The traditional model is reactive,” says Dr. Ebi Ofrey, co-founder of Gerocare. “Families wait until something goes wrong. We are building a system that prevents things from going wrong in the first place.”
The lack of support for a portion of the ageing Nigerian population leaves them more vulnerable to a decline in their health. Another study conducted in Northern Nigeria revealed that elderly participants, exposed to psychological therapy, significantly improved their negative thought patterns and how they connected with people around them. Healthcare opportunities like these allow children and grandchildren to have their parents or grandparents around for longer, not just in body, but in mind.
Beyond emergency hospital visits, which may arise, Gerocare’s system thrives on a rhythm of readily available medical personnel for preventative healthcare. This ensures the elderly are cared for, psychosocially, physically, medically, and regularly to prevent any complications that may arise.
Peace of mind as a service
How does Gerocare work? Gerocare is subscription-based with pricing starting from as low as ₦25,000, or $30 monthly. From your smartphone or PC, within Nigeria or outside Nigeria, the app connects you to a plethora of medical personnel and caregivers across Nigeria who can match your needs.
Gerocare has a provision for users to request medical care, such as consultation with a medical doctor and nursing services by a registered nurse to visit on an agreed-upon basis. While family members can contract Gerocare’s caregiving services for their elderly, enterprises can facilitate its services for clients, as well. These include meal preparation, social outing escorts, laundry, bathing, and personal care.
The platform also offers HMO and phone consultation services. Subscriptions start at $30 a month for doctor visits, monitoring, and prescriptions. A Doctor on Demand package at $50 provides round-the-clock access. Annual HMO plans from $520 to $1,704 extend coverage further with comprehensive coverage that includes chronic disease management, hospital admissions, tests, and medications.
Building infrastructure for ageing
Gerocare promises proactive senior care before it calls for crisis management. Its holistic offerings also ensure seniors or elders have increased access to healthcare as they require.
Since launch, Gerocare has reached more than 30,000 customers in 54 cities across all 36 states in Nigeria, supported by 1,000 partner labs and pharmacies. To get started, head over to gerocare.org
