As we age, many of us struggle to maintain our quality of life. However, sometimes we all need a helping hand, especially when we reach our golden years, with the desire to remain in the home we have come to know and love only growing stronger with each passing day. Thankfully, there is a company that specializes in helping seniors remain in place by not only getting them the day-to-day help that they need, but by matching them up with peers their own age that know what they are going through as well.
Located locally in Plainvew, Seniors Helping Seniors is part of a nation-wide franchise that offers in-home care services that enable seniors to maintain an independent lifestyle in their own homes for as long as possible.
But the organization isn’t your average caregiver group; living up to its namesake, Seniors Helping Seniors is comprised of active senior caregivers who not only serve as helpers to less active seniors, but also function as companions and peers in a way that perhaps a younger individual could not.
The Plainview branch of Seniors Helping Seniors has been open since 2007, and since then has been committed to helping seniors remain in their homes where they have cherished memories, personal belongings, and a sense of security, according to Director of Operations Reema Nirola.
“There are seniors who are looking to get help…they don’t want to go to a nursing home and feel isolated, they want to remain in their home for as long as possible with dignity and respect,” she said. “So we have ‘young’ seniors who want to stay active and are looking for something meaningful to do, and we match them up with less-active seniors that need assistance with daily living tasks. It’s a win-win situation because they learn from each other… our caregivers can relate to their challenges and respect them for who they are.”
Seniors Helping Seniors caregivers can help their clients with numerous tasks around the house, including providing companionship, taking care of light housekeeping, cooking and shopping, assistance with personal care such as eating or bathing, pet care, small household repairs, yard work, help with bills and correspondence, transportation to and from appointments, and more.
In addition, caregivers working for Seniors Helping Seniors are trained in Dementia and Alzheimer's care, as well as being able to keep family members who may live out-of-state in the loop as far as their loved one’s ongoing condition is. Care ranges from daily visits to overnight stays and even 24-hour care.
Seniors Helping Seniors was founded by Kiran Yocom, an immigrant from India who previous had worked with noted humanitarian Mother Teresa for 14 years; upon arriving in this country, she wished to continue with her life’s work of helping people, and to that end founded Seniors Helping Seniors in 1998.
The company recently faced some hurdles due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – much like all businesses across the country have – but have ridden out the hardship and are currently taking all precautions possible to keep their caregivers and their clients as safe as possible.
“We just have to be tough for the sake of our clients…some are taking it well, but others find the isolation depressing,” Nirola said. “And with this pandemic we’ve seen families grow even closer together, so there’s a positive side to it as well.”
Nirola’s background was originally in the Information Technology field; at one point while working in the IT department of a hospital, she said she was inspired by the doctors and nurses she worked alongside and decided to do something where she could help address some of the problems she saw patients experiencing. She found the answer when she joined Seniors Helping Seniors, and has found it to be a very rewarding experience.
“At the hospital, I saw a lot of patients – especially seniors – who would say that they wanted to go home, but they had no one there to take care of them, or they had family members who were being stretched too thin and needed a break…that’s where we come in to offer help,” she said. “I grew up with my grandparents and I have so much respect for the elderly. We learn from their experiences and stories – they always have the best advice to give! At the end of the day, everyone wants to be respected and loved – that is what Seniors Helping Seniors is all about.”
To find out more about the services that Seniors Helping Seniors offers, please visit seniorshelpingseniors.com or call (516) 390-8938.