About Us
Aging, elevated.
Evidence-based across the board.
Wisebird was born out of CompassCare, the New York tri-state area’s first and leading concierge private duty home care company. It was founded in 2014 on a simple premise: most of us would prefer to live independently at home as we grow older.
Created by Cornell-trained geriatricians and gerontologists in collaboration with leaders in hospitality to empower independence in older adults as they age-in-place, CompassCare was the first home care agency to integrate evidence-based, hands-on professional caregiving with best-in-class hospitality and customer service.
After a decade of practical experience helping hundreds of clients and their families, CompassCare purpose-built Wisebird to bring our caregiving skills, knowledge and experience to a new audience: family caregivers.
Most people in the U.S. will be taken care of by a family member – one-fifth of all Americans are currently caregivers, and more than half can expect to be in the future. Most have zero caregiving experience before finding themselves in the role.
Over the past 10 years, CompassCare has created a new standard of excellence in professional home care. We’re now doing the same in family caregiving. Through Wisebird, we’re adapting the skills used by our professionally-trained caregivers for family caregivers so that everyone can feel safe and confident in their abilities to provide care.
Whether you’re taking care of a loved one or looking towards your own future, we’re distilling need-to-know skills down to their essence so that you can ensure you’re giving and receiving the best care.
Our Clinical Advisory Team
Karin Ouchida, MD is an Assistant Attending Physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. An expert in the field of geriatrics, she is passionate about eliminating ageism and helping older adults find meaning and connection. She has a BA from Stanford University and an MD from UCSD.
Sei Lee, MD is a Professor of Medicine at UCSF. For over 20 years, Dr. Lee has worked to improve the health and lives of older adults. He's conducted seminal research with funding from the NIH to help older adults and their families make more informed decisions. He also co-developed ePrognosis, a website helping clinicians with predictions, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed publications.
Judi Brownell, PhD is passionate about applying hospitality principles to enhance service quality in senior living and healthcare contexts. She is an emeritus professor at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, where she was also Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Dean of Students. Her research teaching focuses on communication, leadership, team dynamics and service excellence. She has authorized five textbooks and published over 80 refereed articles in professional journals. She is also a Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Healthy Futures at Cornell University.
Karl Pillemer, PhD is the Hazel E. Reed Professor of Human Development at Cornell University and Professor of Gerontology in Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College. He is also the founder and Director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging. An internationally renowned family sociologist and gerontologist, his research examines how individuals and their families develop and change throughout their lives. He has authored five other books and over 150 scientific publications and speaks throughout the world on issues related to aging.
Rhoda Meador, PhD is the former Director of the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute and current Associate Director of the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging. She creates a shift in mindset about how individuals and society currently conceptualize aging. She has worked with practice and applied audiences in a variety of academic, human service, and healthcare settings. She has developed many successful programs aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults and their caregivers.
Mark Lachs, MD, MPH is the Irene and Roy Psaty Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Co-Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology at Weill Medical College. He is also Director of Cornell's Center for Aging Research, and Clinical Care and Director of Geriatrics for the New York-Presbyterian Health System. His research, teaching, and clinical experience center on improving the quality of life for older adults. An internationally recognized authority in the field of elder abuse, he has authored over 100 articles on the subject and other areas of gerontology.
Ms. Yam graduated from Smith College with a BA in Math and Economics. She received her MBA in finance from University of Chicago. Before starting her own company, Pension Maxima Investment Advisory, she was a financial manager for TIME magazine and a Hedge Fund Analyst for Cheetah Investment. Ms. Yam has been in the pension consulting business for over 20 years and 10 years in Business Evaluation. She is also an adjunct professor at SUNY WCC teaching Financial Wellness classes for business owners and individuals.
We're here to make aging less overwhelming.
Aging is filled with thousands of decisions. Unlike other phases of life, there's no map. But without a guide, it's easy to miss out on important opportunities along the way.
We're here to change that. Using evidence-based tools, we provide personalized insights that help you age on your terms.
The face of aging is changing. The resources available should, too.
For the first time, the U.S. will have more people over 65 than those under 18 by 2030. And today's older adults are different than any generation before them: healthier, wealthier, and more independent than ever.
Despite the growing population, there are very few resources out there that make aging easier to navigate. We created Wisebird to be a simple, evidence-based place to turn to when you need answers.
We follow a simple formula: 1) Education on why a topic is important; 2) assessments to determine how you stack up against recognized standards, yourself, and your age cohort; 3) state-of-the-art, evidence-based interventions to improve your status; and 4) guidance on how to reassess yourself and work on improving your scores. We help you understand what is important and what is not by focusing on only the most efficacious practices.
Built for older adults and the people who love them.
People are increasingly staying in their homes longer and getting support from "family caregivers" — daughters, sons, husbands, wives, nieces, nephews, and more — instead of paid caregivers.
These “informal” caregivers often don't even consider themselves caregivers. They're just people looking for the best for their loved ones.
Whether you're in that boat or you're an older adult thinking about your own aging trajectory, you’re in the right place.
