More and more workers must balance career with caregiving. A startup called Wellthy is helping stressed-out staffers at companies like Hilton and Best Buy. “She called me at 3 a.m. and was just hysterical, frightened that someone was in the house,” Kessler, who was staying at a hotel nearby, said. “I got there, and it was like she was not the same person. I didn’t know what to do.”
One startup is trying new ways to help working caregivers carry the load. When Kessler explained her situation to her boss, she learned that Hilton had a new elder-care benefit managed by a startup called Wellthy. Other big companies, including electronics retailer Best Buy Co., tech bellwether Meta Platforms Inc. and mutual-fund giant Vanguard Group Inc., also offer Wellthy’s services to employees.
Then, a nighttime fall that resulted in a broken rib changed Kessler’s mother’s thinking about assisted living. “She said, ‘Ellen, I will not fight you anymore,’” Kessler recalled. Cooke was able to change course and provide Ellen with detailed questions to ask the facilities, guidance on negotiating fees and emotional support.
Lindsay Jurist-Rosner co-founded Wellthy in 2014 after struggling to balance a demanding career in marketing with caring for her mother, who had multiple sclerosis and died in 2017. She started offering the concierge service to individuals but quickly expanded to focus on selling it to employers as a sponsored benefit, meaning it’s free for employees. Companies usually pay between $3 and $6 per employee per month.