Alison Donnally has spent the last several years watching close family members experience physical and mental health declines while living alone as they age.
“These family tragedies highlighted for me the profound effects of living alone,” she said. “Each of these people close to me were once vibrant and independent, and after extended periods of aging in isolation, needed significant step-ups in medical care.”
Then, as she became a mother, Donnally had an a-ha moment in her journey to find childcare. She thought about the au pair system, which allows non-United States citizens to live and work alongside a family to provide childcare in exchange for subsidized living costs as they build their lives in the U.S.
“I started to wonder: why can’t ‘au pairs’ help with our aging populations too?” she reflected.
And what if those au pairs could get the help they needed to access affordable housing, too?
Living in the Bay Area, it became increasingly clear that Donnally could build something that helped two populations at once: Aging homeowners who needed a little extra help and company, and college students who are increasingly priced out of housing in the area.
So, she created JoeyCo, a startup that matches young people with often-retired homeowners.
“JoeyCo emerged as an answer to these intertwined challenges. By connecting students with older adults, we create a symbiotic relationship where both parties benefit,” Donnally explained on the startup’s website.
“Students find a safe and stable place to live and employment that fits around their school schedule. Older adults can design the support they need to live their best years at home.”
JoeyCo charges $500 for a “search fee” that helps hosts (the older homeowners) find their Joey (the college student and in-home helper). From there, hosts pay a matching fee worth one month’s rent for their Joey, and a subsequent monthly fee of $299.
That monthly fee covers ongoing support between the parties, logistics and financial management, and help with taxes and employment documents.
For the students, or Joeys, the process begins with a sliding scale that determines how much they are willing to pay in rent, an hourly wage they are willing to accept, and how many hours they are available to work per week.
“The beauty is,” JoeyCo’s website tells prospective applicants, “your rent gets more affordable the more you do as an employee.”
The tasks these students do are not formally caretaking jobs, as they cannot legally work as “carers,” doing tasks like taking people to the bathroom or managing medications, without specific training or licenses.
But aside from that, the work runs the gamut: Pet care, grocery shopping support, transportation, meal preparation, and reliable companionship.
Nanik Tagore, 22, has been a Joey with his hosts, Robert and Paige Miller, who are 70 and 72 respectively, since his sophomore year of college. Paige was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in 2023 and now relies on Tagore for some support about 10 hours per week.
“We have a weekly ‘look ahead’ meeting where we discuss the schedule, which fits around my work, sports, or studies,” Tagore recounted to Business Insider. “It might include me taking Paige to visit friends, shopping, or to the bank.”
He also helps with meals, transportation, and daily conversations.
Tagore said that he received $25 an hour when he first started with the Millers in August 2024, but the rate increased to $30 an hour in his second year. He pays $1,750 for rent, which includes a bedroom, private bathroom, and kitchenette, but about $500 per month gets recouped through his work with the hosts.
According to Zillow, the average cost of a studio apartment in the Bay Area ranges from $2,200 to $3,300 per month.
“It doesn’t feel like work,” Tagore told CBS News. “It doesn’t feel like a chore to lend a helping hand.”
Tagore graduated in May but plans to stay with the Millers until the end of 2026.
“I’m a big fan of intergenerational living,” he concluded. “I hope to dispel the myth that Gen Z and boomers can’t get along.”
As for Paige Miller? Having Tagore around is a good deal for her, too.
“It gives me back my freedom,” she told CBS News. “He’s great to have around. And he laughs at my jokes.”
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Featured Image: Courtesy of JoeyCo
