Life Expectancy Outlook And Greymate’s Advent Into The Billion-dollar Care Industry

Attracting and retaining the best caregivers is an ongoing challenge for families that have a dependent member especially for families where everyone is busy with work and school plus the hours spent commuting which remains unaccounted for.

Over 12m Nigerians are over 65, out of which 9m are battling illnesses such as diabetes or stroke and leaves them bedridden in most cases and in need of assistance with post-surgery care such as in hip-replacement surgery or Daily Living Activities (DLAs) such as bathing or feeding.

The responsibility of care naturally rests on their adult kids who are unfortunately busy with work or school. Even when they opt for a paid caregiver, there is no regulated marketplace where one can immediately find a vetted and trained caregiver. They are stuck with agencies with an opaque pricing system and longer turnaround time involving a lot of paperwork. In addition to these, they often deploy staff who are untrained as well as unidentified which exposes clients and their loved ones to theft and inadequate care. Their dilemma is palpable because they either have to leave their parents with inadequate care or take days off work. These result to low productivity, absenteeism or possible quitting of job leading to significant loss to the economy.

Greymate care

Greymate Care was launched to solve this issue and functions through an automated process heavily backed by technology. It is an online platform that connects the elderly to a vetted, background checked, on-demand caregiver for professional attention right in the comfort of their homes. The service users enjoy guaranteed peace of mind as all caregivers signed up on the platform are medically tested and a stringent background check process ensures they have no criminal records. ‘Hundreds of families now enjoy premium access to Greymate Care’, Chika Madubuko tells The Guardian Life.

‘They can easily schedule home visits for their loved ones for services including doctors consultation, personal care and grooming, diabetic and dementia care right at home just by the click of one button!’

The home care industry is currently a $9bn market and is projected to triple by 2021 as more Nigerians are expected to turn over 65 and according to Madubuko, Greymate wants to disrupt the home care industry by providing quality, efficient and compassionate home care services. The advent of Uber started the trend of online platforms disrupting traditional industries such as transportation and hotels (Airbnb). Greymate care has won numerous awards including the Bronze prize at the She Leads Africa Accelerator Programme, was Social Innovation Laureate, Women in Africa Initiative and most notably made the 2019 Forbes under 30 list.