Seniors Helping Seniors does just that
Seniors Helping Seniors matches older adults who need help around the house with those who want to earn some extra money.
Photo by Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com
If you’re living at home and need some extra help around the house, many companies are on hand to provide light housekeeping, run errands or cook meals.
One company is unique, though. Seniors Helping Seniors hires older adults to care for other older adults. As they put it, they provide “affordable, professional in-home care services and heartfelt companionship.”
Launched in 1998, the company has more than 250 franchises nationwide. Four of them exist in the D.C. metro area.
“Seniors Helping Seniors has something that makes them stand out by having mature, sophisticated caregivers,” said Ben Chernow, owner and CEO of Seniors Helping Seniors Bethesda, which opened almost three years ago. “The concept and the business model really work well.”
Seniors Helping Seniors in-home care services was co-founded by Kiran Yocum and her husband, Philip. Kiran worked for Mother Theresa for 14 years, moved to the U.S., and started a caregiving business three years later. They began franchising the business in 2006.
Experiencing both sides
Last year, Ann Montanari, an Alexandria retiree, spotted an announcement at a local café: Kurt Gray, owner and CEO of Seniors Helping Seniors Metro Springfield, was giving a presentation about getting or receiving in-home help.
“I was kind of thinking I’d like something to do,” Montanari remembered, so she returned to the café for Gray’s open house event.
“When I met him and he explained what the company was all about, I was so moved by the mission of companionship for seniors who maybe can’t get out much and have been feeling isolated since the pandemic. So I said, ‘yeah, I’ll give it a try.’”
Montanari worked as a “care partner” for almost a year and enjoyed helping people. Then, after undergoing surgery in November, she became a client herself.
“It was very interesting to be on that side of it,” she said. “Kurt paired me up with someone who was just wonderful. I got to see the companionship part.
“It wasn’t just me telling her do to the laundry…It was more of a friendship, a conversation — learning from each other.”
Care partners who identify
The company calls its paid caregivers “care partners.” That’s an important distinction, Gray said.
His 85-year-old mother was reluctant to admit she needed help around the house. “I don’t need a caregiver,” she told him.
Gray put a positive spin on it. “You just need a partner,” he told her — someone to take her shopping, do the laundry and “anything else my father didn’t want to do,” he said.
His mother agreed to try it, and now she and her care partner have a strong connection. “They hang out once a week for six hours, and they have a blast,” Gray said.
Seniors Helping Seniors works hard to find the perfect match for each client, so it’s rewarding to see people get along so well, Chernow said.
“They get really attached to each other. They value that relationship.”
People who are paired with a caregiver closer to their age may feel a deep sense of connection. After all, they share the same history, remember the same songs and understand the same pop culture references.
In addition, it can be easier to ask a peer for help.
“My goal to remain healthy and as active as possible in my own home is more like a partnership now with Seniors Helping Seniors in-home care services, since I have 24/7 care,” one client shared on the Seniors Helping Seniors website.
“The flexibility and different personalities of my Seniors Helping Seniors caregivers creates interesting experiences day to day. I value their timely reminders as we make lists, shop, run errands, respond to emails and fulfill appointments.”
Caregiver support
The group’s mission is not just to provide nonmedical care but to encourage human connection. In that spirit, last month Chernow’s franchise launched a support group for family caregivers.
“It’s largely attended by clients, but it’s open to everyone,” he said.
Led by a social worker who specializes in geriatrics, the group meets once a month on Zoom to discuss strategies for caring for someone with dementia.
The spirit of generosity has a boomerang effect. One of Chernow’s Bethesda clients was so pleased with his care last year that he “wrote a check for people who can’t use the service on their own,” Chernow said.
Montanari and other care partners are proud of their work with Seniors Helping Seniors. It’s not just work, after all; it’s a good cause.
“That mission of companionship and having someone to talk to is unique,” Montanari said.
For more information on the free Virtual Caregiver Support & Wellness Group, which meets on the first Monday of every month from 4 to 5 p.m., email info@shsbethesda.com or call (301) 895-0205.
For more information about working for or hiring Seniors Helping Seniors, call (610) 898-0090 or visit seniorshelpingseniors.com.
