Impressed by his grandmother’s day by day wants, a younger man constructed a journey service that protects senior independence throughout the nation.
It began when Justin Boogaard moved in together with his grandmother, Betty Luce, from 2012 to 2014.
Justin was job searching, and Betty talked about she wanted a journey one night over dinner. She had heard about Uber and requested for its telephone quantity.
Justin defined that Uber solely labored by a smartphone app. Betty, then in her 80s, replied with a easy suggestion: “Nicely, why don’t you make that?”
That second sparked the start of an answer that will develop right into a trusted identify in senior transportation.
A easy concept results in GoGoGrandparent—and a brand new strategy to help senior independence
Justin quietly started working together with his buddy and future co-founder, David Lung.
They first stored their mission secret from Betty, wanting to make sure it was helpful earlier than exhibiting it to her.
Their mission was clear from the beginning.
“We needed this to be one thing that she may use, that she’d be capable to depend on and that labored for her. That’s a great abstract of the issues which can be crucial that went into this. It wanted to be one thing that Grandma was comfy utilizing — and in order that meant that it couldn’t be an app. It couldn’t be a smartphone factor. It needed to simply be a telephone quantity that she may name,” Justin stated.
They designed the service for older adults like Betty, who didn’t use smartphones.
As an alternative of counting on an app, customers may dial a quantity and comply with a voice menu to request a journey, order meals, schedule grocery deliveries, handle drugs, or ask for family assist.
This considerate setup turned the guts of GoGoGrandparent, an organization created to make getting older in place safer, simpler, and extra dependable.
A grandmother’s first journey proves the dream works
When Betty lastly took her first journey utilizing GoGoGrandparent, she wasn’t instructed it had been constructed only for her.
Justin made positive every thing was proper. Her driver, Luther, had a straightforward automobile to get out and in of.
Betty’s buddy Edie, who used a cane, joined her for the outing. Justin stayed close by through the pickup to make sure issues went easily.
Betty gave the service’s quantity to Edie per week later, who used it for a medical appointment.
That’s when the household knew it had labored. Betty wasn’t simply being well mannered—she really discovered the service useful.
Senior independence, one name at a time
When Betty discovered the entire story, she was proud.
“I used to be actually happy as a result of it was particularly for use for aged individuals,” Betty stated.
She appreciated how properly the drivers did their jobs and the way useful they had been, understanding prematurely the sort of help seniors would possibly want.
She rapidly turned a passionate advocate for GoGoGrandparent. She unfold the phrase with delight, from her ebook golf equipment to her social teams.
Quickly, her Torrance, California, neighborhood had added 300 to 400 new purchasers—thanks to at least one proud grandma.
Betty turned the grandma inspiration behind a service that gave many their freedom again.
Past rides: A brand new path for getting older in place
Justin and David started giving talks at retirement communities, sharing how GoGoGrandparent labored.
They visited greater than 100 communities in California earlier than increasing nationwide.
Their message resonated. For a lot of customers, entry to dependable senior transportation meant they might hold dwelling independently.
A missed journey may imply lacking a physician’s go to—or worse, placing their well being in danger.
As Justin defined, even easy errors—like getting the mistaken sort of milk—can considerably impression seniors who can’t simply run to the shop.
“We weren’t simply being a taxi firm for seniors,” Justin stated.
Over time, he and his group realized GoGoGrandparent supplied a substitute for conventional caregiving, serving to older adults keep of their houses for years. That, he shared, was essentially the most rewarding half.
What began as a journey service for aged adults has turn out to be one thing larger—an on a regular basis device that offers peace of thoughts and actual decisions for getting older properly.
A proud legacy nonetheless rising
As GoGoGrandparent nears its tenth anniversary in 2026, Justin continues to share each milestone with Betty.
Now 94, she faces well being challenges, however nonetheless enjoys time along with her household and pals.
Understanding her concept helped defend senior independence for hundreds, and it made her proud.
That is greater than a enterprise. It’s a reminder that typically, essentially the most highly effective options begin with a grandma’s query.
Watch Betty speak about GoGoGrandparent and the way it continues to help senior independence in her day by day life:
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