s eniors Helping s eniors Taking companion, personal care to the next level

Having worked with Mother Teresa herself, Seniors Helping Seniors (SHS) was originally started in 1998 by Kiran Yocom. For Kiran, Mother Teresa’s influence pushed her to create an organization that could help those who might otherwise not be able to do the things they love, stay in their own home, or even care for themselves anymore.

“We have already seen such tremendous growth, we are excited to be expanding our client base and territories,” stated Tina Boggs, President and Owner of Seniors Helping Seniors (SHS) Lanier, “We have expanded into Barrow and Walton counties and are affirmed with the VA.”

In 2022, the organization began serving both Forsyth and Hall County and has recently expanded into Barrow and Walton County thanks to their high success rate and capacity to take on new clients.

Story by Alexis E. Abbott

WHY SENIORS HELPING SENIORS?

Tina shared what originally attracted her to Seniors Helping Seniors was that the organization aligned with her priorities, passion, and purpose.

Originally never seeing herself as a stay-at-home mom, she became a parent and her priorities changed. “When God blesses you with the birth of a new child, you find your priorities change quickly. Suddenly, I began the struggle of balance and purpose.”

Soon after the birth of their first child, both hers and her husband’s mothers began to decline, “Shortly after becoming new parents, Grady and I both found ourselves in the sandwich generation as both our mothers began to enter a 15-year phase of health challenges and decline. Struggling to find balance and deliver on these new responsibilities, I quickly decided the corporate rat race was not for me,” Boggs said.

Her husband’s mother passed away in 2012 and her mother passed in 2014. Seeing her husband’s mother pass peacefully in the comfort of her own home alongside a team of caregivers planted the seed in her mind. “In 2012 Grady’s mom passed peacefully in her own home with a strong team of caregivers who left their mark on our lives forever. When my mom passed in 2014, I got to see firsthand God at work through her passing and felt a VERY strong calling that I was to do something in the health care / hospice / homecare space, but really didn’t know what that looked like. When the Seniors Helping Seniors, model was presented to me, it was like a glove. It fit perfectly for where my priorities, passion and purpose would collide.”

Two Categories Of Offered Care

SHS divides the type of care they provide clients into two separate categories: Companion Care and Personal Care.

Companion Care helps clients enjoy life again and complete simple chores around the home that they might otherwise have trouble with.

Personal Care requires a higher skill level and helps clients with daily needs such as bathing, dressing, feeding, transferring and toileting.

As explained by Tina, “We are a non-medical in-home care agency providing companion and personal care services. Companion Care is supporting your Instrumental Activities of

Daily Living (IADL’s) – meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, changing bed linens, grocery shopping, errands, taking to doctor’s appointments. By hiring mature active seniors to serve less active seniors, we shorten the generational gap so they have more in common and can have meaningful conversations. It’s more like having a friend coming alongside them. Personal Care supports Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) such as dressing, feeding, transferring, toileting, and bathing. Personal Care may be provided by a caregiver of a broader age range, as we prioritize matching with a more technically skilled individual who can provide the necessary care needed by our clients.”

“What sets us apart is that we don’t accept just anyone for employment. We look to provide a certain chemistry and atmosphere for both our caregivers and our clients. We believe happy employees make happy clients. We seek to provide certain types of experience for both categories of care,” stated Tina, “Because we are Seniors Helping Seniors we target a different set of people when we recruit therefore our methods are more out of the norm than other agencies.”

“We have expanded our office staff and we brought on Darcy who is an RN Supervisor who previously worked in hospice, which is an invaluable added benefit to having us on a families’ care team. For many of the families we serve, the primary caregiver finds themselves in uncharted waters when caring for a loved one in the final stages. As their loved one starts to decline and reach their final phase, it’s invaluable to have someone guide you through that process while keeping your loved one as comfortable as possible,” Tina added.

Hospital To Home Transport

“One of the biggest challenges that hospitals and facilities have is that when a client comes in, they need to have post care set in place before they can be released to go home,” Tina shared, and she’s right!

According to NCBI’s Discharge Planning written by Paula R. Patel and Samuel Bechmann, “Before releasing a patient from the hospital, it is a requirement that the discharge can be completed safely.” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557819/).

But there are several things standing in the way of being safely discharged from the hospital. Srividya Koduru, a Hospitalist at Emory Johns Creek Hospital, identified some of the challenges, including possible transition to senior care and setting up both transportation and care for patients.

When told about SHS, Srividya said, “We need that kind of help because a lot of times the patients get so sick afterwards that they can’t shower or drive or feed themselves.”

Tina says, “Seniors Helping Seniors can help! If you’re looking to add someone on your referral list, please give us a call!”.

As a result of their highly selective employment process and the kinds of care they offer, SHS Lanier has recently extended their reach beyond the initial target demographic of senior citizens.

Partnership With Freedom Waters

Not only can SHS help with transportation and care after hospitalization, they can also assist those who have children with disabilities to get the respite break necessary. As a primary caregiver, Tina knows firsthand how important it is to take care of yourself first so you can provide the necessary care for a loved one.

“At SHS, we have several caregivers who are skilled and have a huge heart in aiding children with disabilities. If anyone ever needed support in that way, we would be ready to help!” Tina shared excitedly. Recently accredited with the Veteran’s Administration, SHS Lanier sponsors an event with Freedom Waters (freedomwatersfoundation.org) each fall hosted at Lake Lanier. At this event, families with either life threatening illnesses or disabilities are treated with a day out on the lake on Saturday and Veterans and active military and families out on Sunday followed by a barbeque lunch!

“Last year was our first time at the event,” said Tina, “When I went, I met a man with Parkinson’s disease and his wife who enjoyed a wonderful day with us! His wife messaged me a month after the event to inform me that he had sadly passed away, but that Freedom Waters had been his last big outing and he rated the day a 10! This is why I love this program!”

Freebird Fly

Last but not least, one woman has SHS Lanier to thank for helping her after a serious car crash left her unable to feed, dress, or bathe herself while she healed from surgery. SHS helped her with bathing, feeding, walking, and more from October 2022 to March 2023. “Our whole team was moved by this person’s heart and outlook of a situation which had changed her life forever and yet she keeps such a positive attitude. What made my heart full during our time caring for this individual was watching my staff go above and beyond the care we provide through SHS, but providing meals for the family during the holidays. This is not just a job for us, it’s our ministry!” Tina said.

WANT TO HELP?

Seniors Helping Seniors (SHS) is always looking to expand their family. If you would like to reach out, you can contact them on their website www.shslanier.com or call their office based in Buford at (770) 884-4358.

Or if you find yourself or a loved one in need of help make sure to make SHS your first call or get a quote tailored specifically to your care needs straight from their website!

“We look forward to coming alongside you to serve your care needs”, Boggs said.