The American health care system is facing an unprecedented challenge: a rapidly aging population with complex mental health needs. According to Kris Engskov, former Starbucks executive and White House administrator, the current system is simply not equipped to provide effective home-based senior mental health care. Recognizing this gap, Engskov co-founded Rippl Care, a company dedicated to keeping seniors at home longer while addressing their mental health needs comprehensively and holistically.
The Origins of Rippl Care
Engskov’s vision for Rippl Care stems from years of leadership and operational experience. After serving as president of Aegis Living, a senior living company in Bellevue, Washington, Engskov left in September 2021 to pursue a new venture. His goal was to create a system that could provide specialized care tailored to seniors’ mental health needs while reducing reliance on emergency rooms and long-term care facilities.
Co-founder Inca Dieterich, formerly an associate at ARCH Venture Partners and now vice president and partner of strategy and innovation at Rippl Care, joined Engskov to bring strategic guidance and venture expertise. Together, they envisioned a model of care that merges technology, specialized clinical expertise, and home-based senior mental health care to support both patients and caregivers.
A Unique Approach to Senior Mental Health
Rippl Care positions itself as a tech-enabled, highly specialized people network designed to meet the unique mental health needs of seniors. While the company is starting with dementia and other neurocognitive conditions, Engskov emphasizes that its services are intended to support a broader spectrum of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, and stress related to life transitions.
“Dementia is just a starting point for us,” Engskov explains. “We think there is such an urgent need in this space, but the psych services we plan to offer will ultimately be applicable to a wide range of conditions.”
The company’s focus on home care is intentional. By keeping seniors in familiar environments, Rippl Care aims to reduce hospitalizations and delays in care that often occur when patients are forced into long-term care settings. This approach not only benefits patients but also alleviates stress on caregivers, highlighting the value of home-based senior mental health care.
Services Offered by Rippl Care
Rippl Care is structured to address several key areas of senior mental health care:
- 24/7 crisis behavioral support: Seniors and their families can access immediate help during behavioral health emergencies, reducing the need for ER visits.
- Care coordination and navigation: Rippl Care guides patients and families through complex care journeys, addressing a critical gap not typically covered by fee-for-service Medicare.
- Specialized medication management: Many seniors have multiple chronic conditions. Rippl Care provides holistic oversight to ensure medications are managed safely and effectively.
- Psychotherapy services: Recognizing that caregiver stress is a major factor in long-term care placement, the company provides therapy not only to the patient but also to family members.
- Remote patient monitoring (future implementation): The company plans to incorporate technology that allows clinicians to monitor patients’ health and behavior remotely.
By offering this comprehensive network, Rippl Care sets a new standard in home-based senior mental health care, addressing gaps in traditional health care delivery.
Technology That Puts Clinicians First
At the core of Rippl Care’s model is a commitment to clinician support. Engskov emphasizes that a major goal is to “take care of our clinicians so they can take care of the seniors we are looking after.” To achieve this, the company plans to develop a proprietary technology platform that streamlines workflow, enhances communication, and allows providers to focus on patient care rather than administrative tasks.
A significant portion of care is expected to be delivered virtually, opening access to specialized services for seniors in rural areas or communities with limited mental health resources. The combination of virtual care and in-home visits exemplifies the future of home-based senior mental health care.
Funding and Leadership
Rippl Care recently emerged from stealth mode with $32 million in seed funding, led by ARCH Venture Partners and General Catalyst. This funding will help the company hire clinicians—including advanced nurse practitioners, licensed social workers, and community health workers—and develop its technology platform.
Engskov’s experience spans public service, corporate leadership, and senior care operations, making him uniquely positioned to tackle the complex challenges of senior mental health care. Alongside Dieterich, the team is building a model that merges clinical expertise with technology and innovative care delivery, creating an ecosystem of home-based senior mental health care that benefits both patients and caregivers.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Care
The need for specialized mental health services for seniors is urgent. In the United States, approximately 20 million seniors experience cognitive challenges, and half of these individuals have dementia, with the majority facing Alzheimer’s disease. By age 85, the risk of dementia is roughly 1 in 3, highlighting the scale of the challenge ahead.
Rippl Care aims to fill this gap, pioneering a new model that demonstrates how home-based senior mental health care can be delivered effectively, safely, and compassionately outside traditional institutional settings.
The Road Ahead
The short-term goal for Rippl Care is to launch its first network and refine its care model, ensuring it meets the needs of patients and caregivers alike. Long-term, the company envisions influencing the broader health care system by showing that value-based, home-focused mental health care can improve outcomes and reduce costs.
With a growing aging population and the mental health challenges that accompany it, Rippl Care is positioning itself as a leader in home-based senior mental health care. By combining technology, specialized care, and in-home services, the company seeks to redefine what it means to support seniors—ensuring they remain at home, connected, and well-cared-for throughout their later years.
