Direct Supply: Bringing Innovation to Senior Care
All Roads Lead to Senior Care
In an interview with Bridge the City’s host Kyle Hagge, Tom Paprocki jokes that “all roads lead to senior care.” Paprocki has worked all over the world and in a little bit of everything, from biotech to pharmaceuticals. But for the last eight years, he has been with Direct Supply.
Direct Supply is an employee-owned company with two locations in Milwaukee that is “committed to enhancing the lives of seniors and those who care for them.” According to their website, they sell a variety of products “curated for senior living.” If you are like most Milwaukeeans, you might not know that the company is one of the foremost innovators in the senior living industry.
However, Direct Supply’s new Innovation and Technology Center on MSOE’s campus is looking to make Direct Supply a household name in innovation here in Milwaukee. The new 55,000 square feet facility in the heart of the city aims to be a more visible and accessible beacon of technology to attract and retain the city’s tech talent.
Embracing Young Talent
Bridge the City is constantly looking for individuals and organizations that provide valuable services to the people of Milwaukee. Similarly, we aim to highlight the challenges that face the city in order to find solutions. One of those challenges, according to Mr. Paprocki, is the tech talent the city loses.
This challenge is evident in the numbers: A 2019 report by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development found that in recent years, the city has struggled to both attract and retain young talent.
“If you are going to try and recruit tech talent young, and I think Milwaukee still has a problem with a lot of tech talent leaving the city when they graduate, we want to build those relationships while they are still in school,” says Paprocki.
Direct Supply is hoping to bridge such talent with other innovators and businesses to build Milwaukee’s talent pool.
Innovating in Senior Care
As a leader in senior care, Direct Supply predicts that innovations in the field will enable people to stay at home and to “age better for longer in senior care communities,” says Paprocki.
People who have had the responsibility of taking care of older family members or friends know that a frequent concern is the unknown. When a caretaker is not present, how do we know for certain that our loved one is doing okay or has taken their medicine? Direct Supply has some answers.
“There are technologies right now where you can put a sensor under somebody’s mattress,” Paprocki says, and the sensor can inform family or healthcare providers if someone has got out of bed. This data is then transmitted to a family member or healthcare provider.
Beyond the specific innovations in senior care, the “silver tsunami” will undoubtedly shake up the healthcare and technology industries. Direct Supply is in an opportune position to benefit from an aging population - and benefit that population in return. “We want to find a way for people in the United States to age better,” Paprocki says. The company is scouring the globe for innovations from right here in Milwaukee.
Involving Milwaukee
Milwaukee and its communities will certainly feel the impact of the silver tsunami and having an important player in the senior care industry will support our city’s response. The success of the response will improve if Milwaukeeans get involved.
“If there are entrepreneurs focused on the senior care space, we very much want to talk to them,” Paprocki says. In addition, Paprocki says Direct Supply is “committed to the city” and looking to support local entrepreneurs first. Of course, we at Bridge the City love this direction. Over the years of hearing from local change-makers, it's become clear that our city can get things done--and become better--when its people are committed to it.
Furthermore, the seniors and clients of senior care technologies are encouraged to get involved in the innovation. Direct Supply has innovations that look to solve the biggest problems in senior care holistically, and Tom is inviting seniors in the community to get involved in their work.
The innovation is sure to continue, as Direct Supply has intelligent, talented people who are working to make aging better for longer. Its place as an employee-owned company in the heart of the city makes it a unique place to develop tech talent and foster the innovations that will help all of us, eventually.
Action Step: Support Direct Supply in their work in senior care, connect with Tom Paprocki and apply to work at Direct Supply here.
Ben Rangel is a producer and host here at Bridge the City. You can connect with Ben here.
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