Dementia Needs a Lot More Thought

Kris Engskov | TEDxUofW

When our CEO Kris Engskov took the stage, he shared a story that’s personal to so many of us at Rippl. Like many families, his was caught off guard by a health care system that simply isn’t built for people living with dementia. After near-misses with his own parents’ care and a front-row seat during COVID to how frail and overlooked this population often is, Kris made a big leap—from building a coffee empire to reimagining care for one of the most vulnerable groups in our country.

In his talk, Kris shines a light on the tough truth: we send tens of thousands of people with dementia to emergency rooms every single day—not because it’s the best place for them, but because there’s nowhere else to turn. And with a wave of baby boomers reaching high-risk age, we’re staring down a crisis we’re not ready for.

That’s why we started Rippl. We believe there’s a better way—one rooted in expert, 24/7 support that wraps around people and their families, helping them stay safely at home and avoid unnecessary ER visits and hospital stays. We're building a model of care based on empathy, science, and what families truly need.

The road ahead is big. We need to break the stigma, train more specialists, invest in the right kind of care, and bring this issue into the national conversation. But we know what’s possible—because we’re doing it every day. And we believe people living with dementia and their families deserve nothing less.