Seniors Helping Seniors

Thursday, August 30, 2012

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 6th 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

Friday, August 10, 2012

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


Thursday, August 9, 2012

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.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Annual Picnic August 9th 2012


Press Release
August 6, 2012

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The 3rd 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