Catching Up With Our CEO

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This week, we caught up with Jeff Reitberger, Chief Executive Officer at iAccompany. He discussed the inspiration behind iAccompany and how he felt the effects of elder care in his own home, prompting the idea that built our unique service.

“The iAccompany inspiration came from my wife. Her mom, who was in her mid-80s, had a number of chronic illnesses and saw her doctor and specialists numerous times a year,” said Jeff. “My wife tried to accommodate those appointments but it took a huge amount of time away from her full-time profession. One day she said to me, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a business that could provide those accompaniment services for me.”

And so iAccompany was born.

In 2020, Jeff Reitberger, Byrnes Benoit, and Doug Stoyko, decided to turn this great idea into a service that would provide care for elder parents on behalf of their adult children.

Jeff became CEO and focused the basis of the company on helping people in the same situation as his wife. People with full-time jobs, young families of their own, or who live in different geographical locations from their aging parents –  iAccompany serves them all.

According to the Caregiver Action Network, more than 65 million people, 29% of the U.S. population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for their loved one.

Many people do selfless work, but at their own expense. Oftentimes, caregivers feel guilt, stress, and anxiety when supporting loved ones, which leads to burnout. With very little options in terms of alternate solutions, iAccompany is here to alleviate those stressors, and lend a helping hand in difficult times. 

“The iAccompany experience centres around the qualified nurse who accompanies your family member or loved one. That qualified nurse is going to make sure that your loved one gets to the appointment safely and reports on the details of the appointment so you can best assist your loved one going forward,” said Jeff.

The nurse is the key factor that bridges the gap between the elder parent and adult child. If you are busy with work, occupied by your kids activities, or do not live near your loved one, our service allows you to be in the appointment without physically being there.

In Jeff’s experience, a big issue was the miscommunication between his wife and her mom when she was not there to attend appointments because of work. She often missed out on what the doctor said, and information was not passed on from her mother. This issue sparked another idea – having the accompanying nurse send a full report including doctors comments, future course of actions, and answering any questions you may have had prior to the appointment. 

“There will be clear and concise communication between the doctors, the nurse, and the patient. And there will be a clear readable report at the end of that appointment,” said Jeff.

In conclusion, the idea that sparked iAccompany hits close to home for many. It is a problem that numerous families face at some point in their lives as loved ones get older and doctor appointments become more common. Instead of taking on the stress and responsibility all by yourself, let iAccompany help. 

CEO, Jeff Reitberger, knew it was a great idea from the beginning, and continues to work so our service can bring peace to families everywhere.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend iAccompany to my family and friends. We strive to improve appointment outcomes, we strive to provide peace of mind after your loved one has been at a doctor’s appointment, and we treat your loved one as our loved one.”

Customer Testimonial: Message from Marney

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At Ease with iAccompany

At iAccompany, we are working to take the anxiety, uncertainty, and unknowns out of medical visits for your loved ones. Through our easy to use app, we created a user experience like no other. 

A nursing professional will meet your loved ones at their place of residence, travel with them to their appointment, sit it on the appointment while taking notes, accompany them on post-appointment activities,  see them safely home and send you a written report within 24 hours.

Using the app, you can book the appointment by selecting date, time, and pick up location of the visit. You can also track the vehicle as it travels so you know when they are picked up and returned safely home.

But you’ve heard enough from us – let’s hear from a current iAccompany user, Marney S.

Marney engaged with iAccompany as a way to help her sister, Kelly, who had a lot of medical appointments throughout the year and did not drive. As taking the bus was not an option, and getting rides from her 85-year-old mother was becoming problematic, Marney and Kelly decided they needed to find a different solution to get Kelly to her many medical appointments.

From the start, Marney was very pleased with iAccompany.. “The iAccompany website as well as the mobile app has a very good user experience. Minimal clicks, and at a glance you can look at all the upcoming scheduled appointments very clearly.”

Booking appointments through the website (www.iaccompany.ca) or the app are simple procedures, as you can see below:

iAccompany 3 step process to book your appointment

Book your appointment today!

“Even if you have more than one family member using iAccompany, you can personalize their profile with their name and photo, so you can see their schedule clearly to keep you organized.”

Marney suggests spending some time setting up your health profile, as it is important to match the needs of the patient to the nurse. She also was happy that the app safely keeps the information, such as the address of the patient, as it makes the process even easier when booking your next appointment with an iAccompany family representative. You can even personalize the nurse that meets with your loved ones to allow them to build a friendship (based on availability).

“My sister found it comforting to have the nurse with her in the car. It put her at ease going into the appointment and also gave me peace of mind knowing she had someone to go with her,” said Marney.

Following the appointment, Marney also was pleased that if your loved ones need further lab work done, or needs to pick up a prescription, the nurse is there to do that as well.

After your loved one is returned safely home, the nurse sends you a formal report of what was discussed, questions that were asked and answered, as well as any suggestions the doctor or nurse have for your loved one. 

“The iAccompany reports from the nurse after the appointments had the appropriate amount of detail. What I liked is that it included recommendations from the nurse for the patient or caregiver, which we did discuss between myself and my family member,” said Marney. “From that we were able to make improvements for her future appointments which was quite helpful.”

As far as recommending iAccompany, Marney said she absolutely would recommend it for people in the same situation she is in.

“iAccompany is great if you have a loved one that needs to get to appointments and for whatever reason you’re having a difficult time getting there. They accompany them right into the appointment, and help them through the instructions that they receive from the doctor,” said Marney. “What’s nice about iAccompany as well is that if your loved one needs further lab work or to pick up prescriptions on the way home, they will do that for you as well.”

It is difficult to always be there when you have time constraints, and sometimes impossible if you live in a different geographical location. Allow iAccompany to help alleviate the guilt of not being there, while keeping you involved in the process of your loved ones health.

“The iAccompany experience for me really gave me the peace of mind that my loved one was getting to her appointment at the right time, at the right place, and just getting the healthcare that she needed.” Marney S.