Best Company To Work For in 2012

Seniors Helping Seniors of West Michigan is Proud to be one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies in 2012 to work for!

We achieved this in large part to the dedication and talent of our workforce. Some people see our name, Seniors Helping Seniors, and ask "Is everyone who works for you really a senior?"

Yes they are - and we wouldn't have it any other way. Because all of our caregivers are 50+ they understand the aging process and can relate to the seniors we help. There are many companies that provide the same service that we do, but because our model is a way to give and to receive and both our Providers AND Receivers benefit from our services it is a very different kind of service. Our Providers and Receivers actually become friends.

They have a work ethic that younger generations just don't have and most have the heart of a volunteer and even though they are being paid for their services they do not look at what they are doing as just a job. We would like to thank all of our amazing caregivers here in the Grand Rapids area for making Seniors Helping Seniors of West Michigan one of the 101 Best and Brightest Companies to work for in 2012.

Christmas With Seniors Helping Seniors

December 1, 2012
Grand Rapids, Michigan

It is a very Merry Christmas here at Seniors Helping Seniors in home services. While we bring joy to seniors year round in the Grand Rapids Area, Christmas is a special time for our Seniors Helping Seniors Family to celebrate together.

About 30 people gathered this year for our SHS Christmas party. We had about 18 Providers join us and 12 guests including some spouses and friends. Our speakers this year gave us some wonderful information including Raymond Siegel from Waddell & Reed who sponsored the event,  a speaker from the Center for Physical Rehabilitation and a wonderful group of children who provide community service to senior citizens shared with us about what they do.

There were some door prizes for our Providers and Noah VanderLinde helped with the drawing of winners.

Of course, Noah wanted to make sure that no Providers left empty handed.

It was a great meal and great time spent with some truly great people. To all of our loving, caring and compassionate caregivers, thank you for all you do for us and those families you serve. Merry Christmas!

Seniors Helping Seniors of Grand Rapids
616-234-0190
www.SeniorsHelpingSeniors.com/GrandRapids

Lions, Tigers and Seniors - oh my!

Detroit, Mich. – Lions, Tigers and Senior Citizens? Oh my!

Senior citizens living in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties are invited to enjoy a special day at the Detroit Zoo on Senior Day, Wednesday, September 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Seniors 62 and older and a caregiver will receive free admission to the Zoo, parking and rides on the Tauber Family Railroad. Seniors are invited to stop by the Senior Resource Area and visit with vendors. There will also be a special Senior Bingo Game with fabulous prizes and live entertainment.

One vendor will be present at Senior Day not only to provide information to seniors and caregivers about their non-medical in home services, but for some of the Detroit Area Franchise Operators this is also an unconventional job fair. Seniors Helping Seniors ® In-Home Care provides home care exclusively for seniors by seniors. “There are many seniors who need a little help to maintain their independence, but they prefer to get that help from someone who understands them and is closer to their own age,” says Mark Bobo, Franchise Owner from Ann Arbor.

“We just completed our training in August and are very excited to start serving seniors in Plymouth, Wayne, Canton, Westland and Garden City this September,” says Mary Ribiero, the newest Franchise Partner in Michigan. Mary has personal experience as a caregiver in her family and has opened a franchise with her husband, Carmo Ribiero, to help older seniors stay self sufficient throughout Western Wayne County. This newest franchise will be the 6^th center to open in Michigan in 2012, making Seniors Helping Seniors Franchises one of the fastest growing in the state.

Dave VanderLinde Jr., one of the Regional Owners of Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services says, “We all know that jobs are hard to come by in this economy, especially on the east side of the state. Many mature workers in particular have difficulty finding work. We recognize the invaluable life experience and work ethic that older workers bring to a company. We now have grown to 14 franchises in Michigan with 9 of them being in the greater Detroit area. Many of our newer franchise partners are looking forward to senior day as a way to inform the community about our services but also as a way to find healthy, active seniors who are loving, caring, compassionate and who have a desire to have a meaningful part time job. We will be creating 75 to 100 new job openings for seniors in East Michigan yet this year. Our business model is so unique that it is one reason we were ranked the #1 Senior Care Franchise in 2012 by Entrepreneur magazine.”

Philip Yocom, and his wife, Kiran Yocom, co-founded Seniors Helping Seniors in-home services, which began as a non-profit organization serving Berks County, Pennsylvania over ten years ago. Philip Yocom said, "What began as a heartfelt mission to fill a need that was not being served by our local community is now being recognized as a prime business opportunity being fueled by the fastest growing demographic in our society," he continued. "We want the existing Seniors Helping Seniors organization and our franchises to be the first place that seniors in need of non-medical services and those seeking extra income call."

"We support all of our franchises with the expertise we have gained in running our Seniors Helping Seniors Grand Rapids office,” said David VanderLinde Jr. “We also provide marketing, sales, management, and technology support. We believe we have found a practical, cost-effective way to help seniors remain independent and to continue contributing to their community. We plan on granting about a dozen more franchises in Michigan over the next 2 years at which time we will be able to provide services to about 80% of the state."

For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors in-home services, or its franchise system, contact:

Dave VanderLinde Jr.

Phone: 616-234-0190

E-Mail: info@shsmichigan.com

www.SeniorsHelpingSeniors.com 

SHS in the News

Not only did we think our picnic was a success, but it was also picked up by WZZM13! Our picnic which was held to thank the seniors who work for us while at the same time provide information for seniors and family caregivers about the senior resources in Grand Rapids was talked about on the 6:00 News.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/article/221012/48/Seniors-Helping-Seniors-gather-for-annual-picnic

2012 Annual Picnic Recap

What a G-R-E-A-T day!  It has been a dry summer, so we decided not to let a little rain worry us on the day of our annual picnic. On August 9th we hosted our annual picnic at SS Peter & Paul Parish. Originally we planned on having the event under tents in the grassy area between the church and the school. Over the weekend the forecast was a 50% chance of rain...a little worrisome...but that number crept up about 10% per day until on the day before our picnic we saw that there was a 90% chance of rain!

So, we decided to host the event inside the gymnasium of the school. It worked out just perfectly. The picnic went from 11AM until 1PM. We had seniors showing up before 10:30 AM and at 10:45 AM I counted over 100 people already in the building.  At about 11:15 we made some announcements and at 11:25 we gave a short presentation about Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services.

After our presentation it was time to award some of our Providers with awards. Seniors Helping Seniors has the best caregivers around. Because all of our caregivers are loving, caring and compassionate seniors themselves, they understand the aging process and can relate to the seniors they are helping. Below is a list of some of the awards that were presented:

Dale Bozek	Patience
Maxine Brinks	Helping Hands
Richard Grisdale	Patience
Lynn Howe	Rookie of the year
Mary Hudson	Power of Love
Margie Jirous	11th hour award
Judy Robinson	a way to give and to receive
Debra Smith	Companion Award
Sharon Zils	All the way
Char Zuker	Square One
Phil Sikkema	Trooper Award
David Cz.	Yes
Kaye B.	Longevity Award
Sally A.	Golden Ages
Ric Castleman	Helping Hands
Faye White	Dedication Award
Ken Kole	PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
Marv Gortsema	Patience
Linda Blovits	Kiran Yocom Award

After we handed our awards, the son of one of our Receivers, Dirk A., asked if he could say a few words about Seniors Helping Seniors In Home services to everyone who was gathered for our picnic. We did reduce his "few words" to the clips below:

Dirk - Video Clip 1 - Why SHS?

Dirk - Video Clip 2 - People Who Care

Dirk - Video Clip 3 - Helping More than My Dad

Dirk - Video 4 - Thank You Seniors Helping Seniors

We really appreciate all of the kind words that Dirk shared with the audience. His family has been our pleasure to serve and his father has been wonderful to work with.

By this time the clock was reading high noon and the seniors in attendance were ready to eat! So, lunch was served followed by a little more music from the band. Along with all the other awards, we did present an award to Ken Kole for being our Caregiver of the Year!

You read about Ken in our last blog post and it was our pleasure to recognize him for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Check back soon as we will be updating this blog with pictures from our picnic.

Seniors Helping Seniors provides non-medical in home care for seniors by seniors. Our unique brand relies on matching up healthy, active seniors who want to help with seniors who need a little help to maintain their independence. We provide services throughout Grand Rapids, MI. There are over 200 locations around the country providing tens of thousands of hours of service to the senior community.

We chance people's lives.

Annual Picnic August 9th 2012

Press Release

August 6, 2012

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The 3^rd Annual Seniors Helping Seniors Picnic will be held on Thursday August 9th from 11AM until 1:00 PM at SS Peter & Paul 1433 Hamilton NW. The event will be held rain or shine with outdoor tents in the grassy area next to the church or inside the parish center if it is raining. The event will celebrate and recognize the hard work of the loving, caring and compassionate seniors who work for the organization. Ken Kole of Wyoming, MI will be receiving the 2012 Caregiver of the Year Award from Seniors Helping Seniors® In-Home Services.

“It is always fun to recognize the absolutely amazing seniors who work for us,” says Amanda Thrush, Director of Client Relations. “Nearly all our Providers could receive this award, but Ken has gone above and beyond what we ask our caregivers to do.”  Ken has worked for Seniors Helping Seniors since 2009 and has helped over a dozen seniors from the Grand Rapids area.  One of the men whom he helps on a weekly basis is Warren. Both Ken and Warren have a passion for sports and Warren in particular loves the Tigers. One day he mentioned to Ken that it was too bad that he would not ever make it to another Tiger’s game. Warren has mobility problems and no family who would take him to a baseball game. Ken took it upon himself to get a couple tickets to a Tigers game and load Warren up in his car and drive across the state to take him to a Tiger’s game. When you have seniors working for you who do not look at what they are doing as just a job and when you match up the right senior receiving a service with the right senior providing the service it really is like they are getting a little help from their friends.

2011 Seniors Helping Seniors Picnic

Dave VanderLinde, one of the Owners of Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services says, “We decided to open this picnic up to the entire senior community last year. There are many seniors out there who are not aware of our services or the various services that may be available to them. So, we are inviting all senior citizens and family caregivers to come out and join us for a Free Lunch, Door Prizes and Entertainment.” All seniors will leave with information from Seniors Helping Seniors as well as from several other organizations who serve the senior community in West Michigan.

Seniors or family caregivers are asked to register for this event by calling 616-234-0190. Seniors Helping Seniors provides a variety of help including companion care, transportation, around-the-clock in-home care, basic handyman services, lawn and garden work, shopping and errands, cooking, cleaning, personal grooming, respite care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care and more.  Seniors Helping Seniors has about 200 locations around the country and 14 in Michigan. For more information on the picnic click here and for more on Seniors Helping Seniors in-home services, or its franchise system, contact:

Dave VanderLinde Jr.

Phone: 616-234-0190

E-Mail: info@shsmichigan.com

www.SeniorsHelpingSeniors.com 

Governor Proclaims June 15 Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Day

This is good news for Michigan. Seniors Helping Seniors In-home Services is for many families the eyes and ears for their seniors. Many seniors who do not have trusted family nearby rely on us to keep them safe. For your seniors personal care when you can't be there(R)

Governor Proclaims June 15 Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Day

Administration continues commitment to the safety and well-being of older adults

LANSING –Governor Rick Snyder has proclaimed June 15, 2012 as Elder and Vulnerable Adult Abuse Day, in conjunction with World Elder Abuse Day.  This proclamation, in addition to strong support for a package of elder abuse bills, further exemplifies the Administration’s commitment to protecting older adults throughout the state.

According to Kari Sederburg, OSA Director, “Vulnerable adult abuse is one of Michigan’s fastest growing crimes, with an estimated 80,000 victims each year.  Sadly, these people are suffering, often in silence, because Michigan does not have adequate tools and resources to protect and support victims and improve prevention and prosecution efforts.”

Governor Snyder has actively supported the 18-bill bipartisan package of elder abuse bills that provide long overdue reforms including increased criminal penalties, provisions for video-taped testimony, required training for employees of financial institutions, improved coordination between state and local authorities, and a silver alert program.  Most of the bills in the package have been introduced in previous legislative sessions.

“We are fortunate to have a Governor who understands that Michigan’s elders and vulnerable adults are valued community members who deserve to live with respect and dignity, and that we can do more as a state to protect them for abuse, neglect and exploitation,” said Sederburg.

Ten of the 18 bills have passed both the House and Senate and are heading to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law. The other eight (8) bills are still in committee. Additional information on senior protections can be found in "the elder protection" at www.legislature.mi.gov.

The Office of Services to the Aging is an agency of the State of Michigan whose mission is to provide leadership, innovation, advocacy, and policy on behalf of Michigan’s older adults and their caregivers.  For more information contact the Office of Services to the Aging at

(517) 373-8230 or visit www.michigan.gov/miseniors.

Seniors Helpings Seniors In-Home Services is a national organization with 200 offices around the country to serve seniors. Our mission is to help seniors maintain their independence in their own home with the dignity and respect they deserve by finding caring and compassionate seniors who want meaningful employment helping other seniors. Seniors Helping Seniors is the fastest growing senior care franchise in the state of Michigan - now with 14 offices in the state with plans to open a dozen more over the next 2 years.