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| When Marcy Bloem first saw an ad for Seniors Helping Seniors, she thought the idea sounded perfect. “I was recently retired and found that I had too much time on my hands,” she says. “I was actually looking for volunteer opportunities, and I knew right away that Seniors Helping Seniors would be a good fit.” Marcy is a “people person” who enjoys helping others. She says that she has found an ideal arrangement. She works with a gentleman who lost his wife a few years ago and now has suffered a stroke. He is in his 80s, and needs help at home. Marcy fixes meals for him. When she first met him, he was using a walker. But now he seems like a whole new person, she says. “I believe that being able to be at home and around people who genuinely care about him has significantly helped him. There are several of us who take care of him, including myself and two other caregivers. He even manages to go on walks without his walker now. He has shown so much improvement. I’ve just noticed how he has blossomed with the care.” Finding ideal arrangements like this one is exactly what Gail Bernardy envisioned when she became the owner of Seniors Helping Seniors in-home services. “Our mission is simple. We provide seniors with the ability to choose an independent lifestyle in their own homes for as long as possible with the dignity and respect they deserve. We do this by finding caring seniors to help each other,” explains Gail. When her own father was diagnosed with a serious illness, Gail provided care and drove him to doctors’ appointments, among other duties. Her father often visited a meal site, and Gail accompanied him on occasion. “I had the most wonderful conversations with the people there,” says Gail. “I noticed how they could relate to each other and how they interacted with each other. They had special understandings of each other because they were peers.” Then Gail heard about Seniors Helping Seniors and purchased the franchise in June 2011. Seniors Helping Seniors began nationally in 1998 with a mission to match seniors who want to provide in-home non-medical services with seniors who request them. In this way, a full range of home care, companionship, and home maintenance support can be provided by seniors for seniors at reasonable hourly rates, Gail explains. The providers are paid for their services. Gail tells me more about how it works. “We have a rigorous and extensive application. We perform in-depth interviews and comprehensive screenings to match providers with clients. We do background checks and check references.” She says it’s just like getting a little help from your friends. “We can help with transportation and other services such as laundry, meal preparation, and house cleaning. We can also provide handyman services and yard care. If an overnight stay is what’s needed, we can arrange that, too. “We are able to combine services and customize what’s needed for the individual, as well,” she comments. “This is just a wonderful solution, and it’s a win-win situation. Our providers and our clients find that it is a way to give and to receive,” says Gail. “I have even had clients tell me they feel as if they have gotten their mother or father back. They just benefit in so many ways.” The goal of Seniors Helping Seniors in-home services is to match seniors who can provide a particular service to other seniors who need these services. Seniors are also matched according to their personality and activity level. As a result, strong friendships often develop between the providers and the clients. Gail explains, “We hear back from clients all the time how very conscientious and thoughtful our providers are. They make sure that the clients get the proper care, and they are very kind. One provider performed some handyman work for a client, and then dropped off some fresh garden produce on another day. It’s just the kind of thing that neighbors and friends in Iowa do for each other.” Andrea Heerdt enjoys this aspect of Seniors Helping Seniors. She says she works with clients in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, and she likes that they are her peers. “This helps us better relate to each other because we have similar experiences. I find the people that I work with to be so interesting. They tell me stories about themselves growing up. We share stories about our kids and grandkids. I just love doing this.” Gail finds regularly scheduled visits from a compassionate peer provider are a day-brightener for their clients. She says it’s also comforting to clients families to know that their loved ones are being well cared for when they can’t be there.” The type of care that Seniors Helping Seniors provides is becoming more and more important as Baby Boomers age. In 2011, 77 million Baby Boomers began turning 65 years old. The Administration on Aging reports that the number of people ages 65 and older will double by 2030 from the number reported in 2000. By the year 2030, 70 of the 99 counties in Iowa will have more residents over the age of 65 than any other age group. The life expectancy has been increasing, and people over the age of 85 are the fastest-growing demographic. Most seniors want to remain in their own homes, but once they reach age 85 they often need help with daily activities. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that soon, 54% of our workforce will be involved in caring for an older person. “Our clients have typically been very self-reliant,” says Gail. “It may be hard for them to ask for help. They have worked hard all of their lives and are reluctant to ask for assistance. So, it is often a family member who makes the arrangements. But once we match providers with clients, the right things just seem to happen in the best possible way.” You can contact Gail Bernardy at Seniors Helping Seniors at 515-224-0048. You can also visit the Web site at www.seniorshelpingseniors.com/centraliowa. If you are interested in providing services yourself, you are also welcome to contact Gail. There is no experience necessary—just lots of heart, she says. |
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