Milo brings independence to Central Florida seniors

Seniors in Orlando looking to stay at home and take back their independence now have an answer.
Say hello to Milo.
Milo, a company launched in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers strategies and services for the elderly who wish to continue living at home — officially coming to the Central Florida area last month.
“We are doing our primary operations out of the Oviedo market,” said Chris Eng, vice president of marketing for Milo. “Right now, we’re working on our first 50 charter members. It’s been really awesome. We’re open and available for services.”
Those services include a companion who can visit a loved one three times a week, bringing them meals, checking on his or her well-being, giving light tech support, stocking the fridge and making the bed.
Meals from Milo focus on taste and nutrition, including smothered steak with onions, steamed rice and green beans; seasoned shrimp with wild rice and mixed vegetables; and chicken and bean enchiladas with Spanish rice and seasoned corn.
Milo companions hope to address each aspect of M.E.S.H. — move, eat, sleep and heal. It’s a care program developed by Harvard graduate Dr. Bill Thomas.
“I’ve practiced geriatrics for a couple of decades,” Thomas said. “In that time, it became really clear to me that the best way to protect your independence as you age is also the simplest. We help people move, eat, sleep and heal in ways that actually protect and extend their independence.”
“If you look around the field of aging, there are a lot of businesses that are actually based on dependence, which actually help people cope with being dependent,” Thomas said. “Milo is launching a whole new segment in the aging arena. We’re launching an independence initiative. Milo is designed to help people protect and sustain their independence.”
Milo provides a free tablet for members and an app that members and their loved ones can use. The app allows members to communicate how they’re doing in the areas of move, eat, sleep and heal. Staff and loved ones can see the results in real time.
Milo also offers a wearable fall detection device with access to assistance 24/7. A sleep tracker is in the works, as well.
“We’re continuing to a build a really robust technology platform to support and enhance their independence at home,” Eng said.
The care program implemented by Milo already is gaining traction in Charlotte since it first launched earlier this year, already serving 100 customers in that area.
It all ties into giving members something that they desperately need for independence: function.
“There’s a huge amount of medical research that shows that, contrary to what people think, it’s not your health status that challenges your independence, it’s your function,” Thomas said.