A ‘Joey’ At Home Can Make a Senior Less Lonely

Nanik Tagore (22), a recent Dominican University graduate in San Rafael, pours tea for his landlady, Paige Miller. They sip their tea and laugh. Nanik, who studied business and plays basketball, is a ‘Joey’, a term coined by Alison Donnally, the founder of JoeyCo., an agency that places college students in seniors’ homes to provide companionship and assistance with simple household tasks. 

Nanik is not just a tenant at Paige Miller’s home – he is like family. Nanik lives in the Millers’ spare bedroom and helps with the activities of daily living such as driving Paige Miller to appointments and helping Robert Miller with his workouts.

Donnally conceived the idea of a ‘Joey’ when she was exploring childcare options as a new mother. A long career in the healthcare industry had shown that older people were struggling to access licensed care. “I wondered why we can’t have an au pair system for ageing populations,” said Donnally – someone who lives temporarily with a host family and helps with light household duties while receiving a daily stipend.

JoeyCo paired Nanik with the Millers, placing him in their home in 2024. What started as an arrangement to address the loneliness associated with a dementia diagnosis has become a lifesaver for Robert and Paige Miller, who live in Marin County. 

“Paige has a history in her family of Dementia and Alzheimer’s,” said Robert Miller. “We knew at one point it would impact her. We planned ahead and wanted to help each other.”

The couple has two daughters whom they did not want to burden with caregiving. When Robert Miller met Alison Donnally at a conference and heard about ‘Au Pairs’ for kids, he explained his wife’s situation to her. She proposed her ‘live -in’ helper plan to the Millers – the Joey would stay in the Millers’ spare bedroom, rent-free, and for a small stipend, help out with household chores.

Then, JoeyCo found Nanik Tagore. Indian American Nanik is part of the ‘Joey network’, young college students who are looking for cheaper accommodation around their university. Nanik saw JoeyCo as a perfect opportunity for him to stay on in Silicon Valley and pursue his career in tech and business, while building a sense of community with his hosts. 

Hiring Nanik is an arrangement that “gave Paige dignity,” said Robert Miller. ”It gave her a sense of ownership of where she was.”

Why the Joey system works

“A service like JoeyCo is valuable for young college students, seniors, and seniors’ families for many reasons,” said Rick Lauber, author of The Successful Caregiver’s Guide and a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul. “Seniors could receive extra help around the house  (cooking, cleaning, gardening, snow shoveling, etc.) when and where required. Seniors would be less lonely and, perhaps, be encouraged by a younger student roommate to get out in the community, socialize, and exercise.”

An AARP study reports that 40% of US adults experience loneliness, a significant increase from 35% in 2018. Nearly half of ‘lonely adults’ in the survey wanted stronger connections. Data from Apartment List shows that over 60% of US homes have a spare or unoccupied bedroom, driven by shrinking family sizes and larger single-family homes. The benefit of companionship in old age is supported by several studies.

Research supports the benefits of companionship in old age. A University of Michigan poll found that 78% of older adults who spent time with companions and friends forged connections that help reduce stress and encourage healthy habits, including exercise and regular medical care. A University of Berekely study also found that companionship offered a reliable safety net that protects mental health and blunts cognitive decline

The ‘Joey’ solves the loneliness problem by pairing a college student with older adults who have spare rooms in their home. Joeys are typically college seniors who leave school accommodation to live with a host family for a year or two. They move out at the end of their school term; it’s a long-term arrangement, but not a lifetime one. Nanik is an exception – he has signed on to live with Robert and Paige Miller even after completing his degree.

Lauber explained that the arrangement benefits all its participants; families of seniors gain peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones have a Joey monitoring their health or seeking help when needed. Students have an opportunity to save money and earn valuable job experience. 

“There is also the possibility that, through such a living arrangement, Joeys and seniors could become lasting friends,” said Lauber.

This is evident in the Miller home. Nanik began with simple tasks – like cleaning windows. He works 5 hours a week (20 hours a month). He now helps Robert Miller with his startup, offering valuable insights as a business graduate. After graduation, Nanik decided to continue living with the Millers.

“We are so attached to Nanik,” said Robert Miller. “He’s now like a family member. Whoever replaces him as the next Joey has big shoes to fill.” 

How Nanik became a Joey

Nanik grew up in Sacramento and went to college on a scholarship, but the high cost of dorm housing ($9,000 a semester for accommodation and around $3,500 for the meal plan) for only 8-9 months of a year drove him to seek other housing options. “Four months out of the year, you’re unhoused,” said Nanik. He met Alison at a job fair. “She presented me with this opportunity, which was really foreign to me, but interesting,” he said.

Growing up in a South Asian household made it easy for Nanik to become a Joey. “When my grandparents would arrive from Fresno, I would be out on the curb with my dad and brothers, waiting to hold their bags – so yeah, from an early age I was eager to help my grandparents – do whatever I can for them.”

The ‘Joey’ Solution

The Joey model may be a solution that works for South Asian elders at high risk for depression and social isolation, who feel increasingly isolated from their homeland and American-born children. 

Alison Donnally who launched ‘Joey’ in 2023, knew from her healthcare background in healthcare that older people struggled to access licensed care. Donnally liked the gender neutral term “Joey’ that came from the idea of a mother kangaroo taking care of her joey; she said. “My friends were quick to point out that Joey could also be the nice guy across the hallway, always willing to help his friends – like Matt LeBlanc’s character in Friends.”.
Expensive caregiving services lack consistency- often sending different helpers instead of a regularly assigned one based on staff availability; that does not serve seniors well, said Lauber. Seniors can be confused and frightened when they open their doors to a new face each time. A service like Joey “can help to build trust,” he explained.

A great source for Joeys

Donnally typically recruits Joeys from hiring fairs or through flyers with sign-up details distributed on college campuses. She met Nanik, who became the company’s first ‘Joey’ at one such event. Potential Joeys and hosts can also sign up on the company’s website: Donnally now has matches in 11 counties in Northern California.. The Joey program could be an effective housing and employment option for Indian American students, who make up a significant portion of UC admissions in California. At UC Berkeley alone, Indian American undergraduates were almost 13% of the 2025 fall cohort. 

JoeyCo conducts an extensive background check and an initial ‘vibe’ check with the potential Joey, followed by reference and institution checks. Dominican, unlike many other universities,  offers the Joey option as alternative accommodation for students. “Many universities (are) building housing, so they don’t want students to leave that unit. They make so much money off university housing,” said Nanik. Joeys can also get references from their friends or an employer if their institution refuses to provide one. International students are not eligible to be Joeys.

Alison says the JoeyCo program does not undermine university housing. “Universities cannot house everyone and neither can we. Our student base consists of those unique few who choose this shared way of living and who cannot afford the on-campus option or even the near/off-campus options. In reality, universities have been more curious than resistant, and many caring administrators refer students to us directly. In general, we have many qualified applicants for each Host placement, and haven’t seen this issue impact quality matching.”

The program evaluates hosts on multiple criteria, such as the number of adults at home or health care needs, before initiating an introduction to a potential Joey. The Joey is also given an opportunity to check if the family is a good fit. Paige Miller initially wanted a female Joey. “Now, she says I don’t think it makes a difference; it matters who the person is,” said Robert Miller. “After a few weeks, it felt like)  this is our Joey, our family member.” The vetting process ensures that the Joey has the skills and demeanor that would suit his family’s needs, said Miller. “There were very few surprises.” 

The vetting process also includes a third-party Live Scan background check on both parties and a contract that protects both parties. “If an arrangement doesn’t work out, we can put up the Joey in a hotel. We have frequent catchups to evaluate how things are going. It’s sometimes helpful to have a third party to mitigate conflict,” Donnally said.

As W-2 employees, Joeys are restricted to certain kinds of work. “Work is defined by the family – like walking a dog, changing light bulbs, household support. Personal care is off the table. You don’t do tasks that touch the host,” said Donnally. Joeys get paid $25 an hour and can work up to 5 hours a week. This work helps offset their rent. 

“I don’t do tasks like laying out Paige’s medication – Robert takes care of that. Paige is very self-sufficient – I am more available, like, on a standby capacity, like picking up groceries, help with thermostats, etc.” said Nanik.

Caiyel, a dance student at Dominican, is a Joey for Thursday Carreon. She charges Caiyel $1,400 in rent that Caiyel offsets by almost $500 from her rent by doing chores. “She vacuums, cleans, walks the dog, and helps around the house. She earns the money,” said Carreon, who now has two Joeys in her house – Caiyel and Hudson.

Robert Miller has taken workers’ compensation insurance to protect both him and Nanik in case of injury. Carreon has added workers’ comp to her home insurance for about $10/month. Donnally offers an in-house payroll service for Joeys called Poppins, which costs $40/month. “You need that service to pay the Joeys,” said Carreon. “The ‘agency’ is very organized and they walk us every step of the way”, Carreon added.

JoeyCo helps hosts set up the payroll and walks them through the platform. Unlike the Millers, Carreon saw Joey as an economic opportunity after her son went to college and she retired. She wanted to rent out two empty rooms and saw Joey as a great service that would not just help her with housework, but also help her with a steady source of rent.

Overcoming the Awkward Bits

Hosts and Joeys maintain calendars to monitor availability. For the first few weeks of the arrangement, JoeyCo executives sit in on meetings between Joeys and the host. “It helps to have someone there, to remove that awkward barrier,” said Nanik. If a host has a conflict, they raise it with the Joey, either in the meeting or when the incident happens. “Our philosophy is that if you can raise small conflicts early on, you build that muscle,” said Donnally. 

A model for South Asian Seniors?

Joeys may work more effectively for South Asian seniors who live independently. According to Krishnaswamy Narasimhan, a community organizer with the nonprofit Indo-American Seniors Association of Fremont (Insaf), the Joey service may not work for their members. “Almost 95% of them live with their children only. Only a few live independently. They live in studios or single-bedroom apartments,” he said. 

Many seniors in their network don’t have a base in the U.S. and are dependent on their children. They reach out to Insaf to find affordable accommodation if they want to move out of their children’s home; even so, children remain their parents’ primary caretakers 

“It’s our culture to stay with our kids,” said Gopal Pandya, a member of Insaf. Rajendra Wakharia, who lives in Fremont with nine family members, says that even when Indian families become fragmented, they never disconnect from each other, “so having a stranger living at home may not work.” Both Pandya and Wakharia are in their late 70s. 

Prarthana Patil (in her 50s) from Newark does not believe that all Indian parents want to live in their children’s homes. Her son lives on the East Coast. “A solution like Joey would work perfectly for me,” she says, if the company can protect her from risks such as drug use or stealing. “If JoeyCo is willing to help take responsibility for these edge cases, then I have no problem hosting a student in my home.” 

Donnally accepts that skepticism about Joeys is a normal reaction to a stranger moving into a home, regardless of the cultural background. “There is never any rush to move in until both parties are sure about the next step. What helps build trust foundationally is the clear structure we bring to the agreements and relationship building. And of course, there is an ongoing relationship with our team to navigate cultural differences as they arise. I am encouraged that multigenerational living is deeply embedded in many Indian American families, which may make the JoeyCo model feel familiar in this community,” she said.

“It offers a cool medium for young people to figure out how to live on their own,” adds Nanik. It has opened up my mind to solving more of society’s issues. If there is a way to bundle your housing and work, this is a great arrangement.”