BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – If you call Vermont home, there’s a new platform connecting you with care right in your backyard.
After struggling to care for his own aging parents, a Canadian entrepreneur set out to create a network of support.
His solution – Tuktu – is about to go live in Vermont.
At 93 years old, most of Rita Coe’s friends have died, and her closest family lives thousands of miles away in Australia.
However, her biggest concern with living alone in Vancouver isn’t her own wellbeing, but her cat’s.
“There are so many cases in the paper at times where animals just die because no one knows that their owner has passed away,” said Coe.
For nearly a year now, she’s had a community that checks on her and even drives her to outings.
“If I wanted to go to a symphony or theater, I could have a companion that would take me, which is absolutely marvelous when you don’t have anybody,” she said.
That’s thanks to Tuktu, a platform that pairs people in need with neighbors willing to help out.
Creator Rustam Sengupta launched it in Canada in 2021, reaching four thousand users. Now, it’s coming to Vermont.
“We realized there was an avalanche of people who wanted to help and wanted to support community members. And there were a lot of people who needed support, obviously, for themselves, for a family member,” said Sengupta.
People looking for support can call Tuktu or use their website or app.
They pop in what they’re looking for, and Tuktu connects them with caregivers in their area who meet their needs.
They offer non-medical care, like help with everyday tasks.
“Tuktu helped my mom with her Christmas decorating, like reaching to put the angel on the top of the tree, like just stuff that my mom can’t do that I don’t necessarily have time to go into. It frees my time up as a caregiver for my mom,” said Wendy Foley of Canada.
Sengupta says every caregiver goes through a background check and training. They can volunteer or charge for their services.
Andrew Roznicki says he cares for people like Coe to find purpose after retirement.
“I wanted to do something a little more meaningful and at the same time, fun and giving back to the community,” said Roznicki.
People like him are a gateway to freedom for people like Coe.
“It just gives me a confidence that I hadn’t had before,” said Coe.
The Tuktu team is building up its caregiver base in Vermont before going live.
Sengupta says he’s looking forward to serving people in need in a community that wants to help one another.
