According to AARP, 9 out of 10 older adults prefer to stay in their own homes as they age—even if they need some assistance or are managing ongoing health issues. But finding the best resources to help your aging parents and knowing how to navigate the options can be confusing and stressful. During this panel discussion, our experts will offer insights into home care and other new and traditional services for older adults who want to stay independent, living at home.
Designed for people over 65 and adult children who are helping to plan for a parent’s care, our panel will cover a range of key topics and current options to support wellness, safety, and quality of life at home. Eldercare Specialists Founder & President Lynn Goehner will talk about family dynamics and how to initiate conversations about the need for care with your parents and siblings. Alice Lai-Bitker, owner of Alice Home Care, will share tips on how to select the best home care agency and find the right caregiver. Danielle Ishak, a user experience researcher at Intuition Robotics, will introduce Ellie.Q, an AI-driven social robot designed to encourage engagement and reduce isolation among older adults. And Golden Founder Evin Ollinger will discuss financial considerations and planning for long-term care.
Moderated by Cameron Tuttle and Randy Allen, co-hosts of Honor’s “Who Cares?” podcast, this is a must-attend discussion for anyone in the Bay Area who wants to be better informed and prepared to support safe, independent living for their loved ones.
Lynn Goehner is the founder and owner of Eldercare Specialists, a full-service geriatric care management company specializing in managing complex medical and dementia cases. Prior to starting Eldercare Specialists, Lynn worked as an ICU nurse at UCSF and in the business world. Lynn has expanded Eldercare Specialists in order to provide education and training programs on end of life planning, managing dementia issues, and how to work effectively with older adults and families during times of transition. Lynn is certified in California to provide continuing education and training to registered nurses and certified care managers.
Alice Lai-Bitker, co-owner of Alice Home Care in Alameda, has been in the non-medical home care business since 2012. She is passionate about what quality home care can do for seniors aging in place at home, from reducing social isolation, to fostering independence, to providing personal care. She loves to be able to help families in their most difficult times.
Alice comes with a background of social work but also served on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for 10 years. She is well versed with senior policies and programs. Alice also serves on the Board of Directors of Meals on Wheels of Alameda County.
In addition, Alice is the founder and Board Chair of Diversity in Health Training Institute, a non-profit organization that helps immigrants and refugees gain employment in the healthcare field.
Danielle Ishak is a User Experience Researcher, focusing on bridging the gap between older adults and technology. As technology is rarely designed for this population, she recognizes the many unmet needs and reservations they have of technology. Therefore, she aims to provide them with easier access to the digital world. Prior to Intuition Robotics, Danielle conducted user research focusing on human-robot interaction at X, formerly Google[x].
Danielle holds a bachelors of arts in interactive communication and a masters of science in Human Factors & Ergonomics. During her masters, she worked in an academic lab publishing articles about elders interacting with social and service robots.
Evin Ollinger started Golden from watching his Dad forget to pay his mortgage and nearly lose his home. He founded Golden to increase the financial health and security of our fastest growing, most vulnerable population - 75M Boomers caring for their 50M senior parents.
Previously, Evin co-founded and led successful exits for both Chronos Software (acquired by Day Runner and Time/Design) and DistribuPro (acquired by Computer Associates). He also founded OneVoice which is the tech behind Google’s Translate button – enabling millions of non-English speakers to participate in the Internet.
Prior to Golden, Evin was Director of Marketing at ATT Language Line Services division from spin-out to three-year growth of $64M to $147M and upside acquisition for $722M by ABRY Partners. Evin’s high-tech career started with co-founding of one of the first micro-computer stores in the SF Bay Area in 1982.
