Local Start-Up Makes Home Care Accessible To All

Building bridges in Singapore’s healthcare system

When you run a healthcare start-up focusing on home-based care solutions for seniors, it often surprises most that founder Gillian Tee once could barely bring herself to visit nursing homes.

She was raised by her elderly nanny in her early childhood years, who later developed bone and breast cancer. This left a lasting impact on Gillian, who later went on to found Homage – a care platform matching more than 6,000 professional caregivers with families who need them.

Besides working with families, Homage also partners with healthcare institutions in the space including hospitals, community hospitals and nursing homes.

Homecoming

Homage was founded in 2016, after Gillian returned to Singapore following 15 years living abroad. During that time, she completed her studies in computer science and a Master of Business Administration degree, in addition to building a successful start-up in Silicon Valley.

Upon her return, Gillian was the sole caregiver of her mother, who had kidney problems and mobility issues. In the process of looking for a caregiver for her mother, she was struck by how difficult it was to get care. Similarly, she also noticed a high rate of readmission owing to poor post-hospitalisation care and the general trend of burnout amongst primary caregivers.

“It was very difficult to find assistance, and there was very little visibility,” she said.

Back in the United States, Gillian noted how technology helped to improve senior care and she was keen to explore a similar model in Singapore. Together with two other co-founders, she started Homage.

Making home care accessible to all

Today, Homage uses its proprietary technology to match doctors, nurses, caregivers and therapists with seniors at home. All caregivers are local, licensed and thoroughly vetted to ensure optimal care.

Interested individuals can download the Homage mobile app to book, manage and pay for care at the touch of a button. Through the app, individuals can also communicate with their assigned caregivers ahead of their visit to get to know them better. Families can also access detailed post-care reports and summaries.

Care visits can be as short as 1-hour and as long as 24-hours. To cater to the individual needs of every senior, families can also opt for ad-hoc or package options. Most families use Homage for post-hospitalisation care or respite care when their primary caregiver or helper is away.

Homage is now active in Singapore, Malaysia and Australia, with a fourth country expected to join the list soon. Most notably, the company has also recently clinched USD30 million funding in their Series C round, led by Temasek Holdings.

Many families appreciate the flexibility and professionalism of Homage caregivers that have helped to provide much-needed support. Some caregivers have even become close family friends, like the story of Homage Care Professional Christina Quah and Mdm Ganesiah. Homage has also been active in the nation’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, most notably in the home swab and vaccination front.

To date, Homage has served thousands of families, allowing them to book care wherever and whenever they require but also helping to improve the lives of many seniors and giving their loved ones a peace of mind.

Benefits have also hit close to home. Inspired by stories of active seniors Gillian meets in the course of work, her mother now does yoga and swims multiple times a week in spite of her ailments.

“She’s a transformed person,” said Gillian of her mother.

Homage has great plans to further invest in the technology platform and to also deepen the integration with the aged and disability care payor and provider infrastructure across the region.

Get quality home care for your loved ones

For more information on Homage services and how we can help, simply fill up the form below and a member of our Care Advisory team will reach out to you shortly.