‘Seniors Helping Seniors’ provides companionship
“Seniors Helping Seniors” is a service that provides companionship to seniors, as well as their senior caregiver.
The service allows for senior citizens to stay in their homes, a familiar setting, and is rewarding for seniors who are assisting people their own age. There are various services available, such as companionship, cooking meals, washing laundry, cleaning dishes, grocery shopping, other housekeeping needs and transportation.
The senior care providers are trained in other aspects that seniors may need help with, such as personal care and daily living assistance. The caregivers can help with showering and ensuring their safety in the bathroom in the event someone is a fall risk. Dara Trout, coowner of the franchise with her husband Brad Trout, says such assistance is one of the many reasons this service employs seniors to assist other seniors.
“We use older caregivers because they can relate better and they have more in common,” Trout said. “They may not be able to do that with someone who is younger. They become friends with their caregiver and they do become pretty close.”
Trout added that as time goes on, seniors outlive their friends, and this is an opportunity to make new friends and have someone to socialize with at their home.
Like friends doing a favor for another, the caregivers can take seniors into town, to the grocery store, to the park or to a concert, for example. They can help with transportation to the doctor’s office or take them somewhere for a fun activity. If a client is interested in art, the senior can take them to an art gallery and keep them company.
“We match people based on similar interests, such as art or music,” Trout explained about pairing caregivers with senior citizen clients who may have similar interests or backgrounds.
They can also help seniors get ready in the morning, by making them breakfast and getting their lunch ready. The caregiver, whether it is the same one or another, can come in the evening to make them dinner or help them get ready for bed. She noted that some seniors may need help shopping at the grocery store, but then they cook the meals themselves. Trout explained that the services are provided based on the needs of the seniors, and they can receive assistance during the daytime, nighttime, or even 24.7.
“Some clients are declining, and they need help at all hours of the night,” Trout said.
Trout said the services are customized and based on the needs of their clients, which can vary from a few hours a few days a week to round-the-clock assistance. Family members who typically care for their parent can use the service as a break from their duties, Trout said. She explained that many people who are a part of the “sandwich generation” are working fulltime, raising their children and caring for their parents. For other families it is difficult because the children may live a distance from their elderly parents.
Dara and Brad Trout conduct an assessment when a potential client contacts Seniors Helping Seniors, and they ask about their needs, medical history and they ask about their personality to best match them with a caregiver. There are about 130 caregivers in the franchise of Seniors Helping Seniors Chester, Montgomery and Upper Bucks Counties In-Home Care Services.
Dara Trout said it is a great part-time job for caregivers because it keeps them active, mentally and physically. It helps them get out of the house and socialize with others during their retirement. The schedule is flexible because seniors can work the hours that they desire. Caregivers also inform them of what services they are willing to provide and how far they are willing to drive to assist someone. She said many of the caregivers want to give back to others and this is also a way for them to earn extra money.
She described it as a joy for caregivers to interact with seniors while providing care, just as much for the seniors who are receiving help.
Eleanor Buczala, who retired 12 years ago, has served as a senior caregiver for the past seven years. She wanted to find a meaning
ful job that made a difference and she came across a brochure promoting Seniors Helping Seniors.
“I quickly learned that it’s very rewarding. I enjoy giving back to others,” Buczala said. “Sometimes it doesn’t seem like much, but for them it means the world.”
She has worked with seniors who are homebound, some are ill or may no longer drive and they are unable to visit friends or family. She explained that losing one’s ability to drive can make it difficult because they lose their independence and freedom.
She recalled special times that she accompanied someone in a wheelchair who has Multiple sclerosis (MS) to see a play in Philadelphia and how happy the woman was that she had that chance. Another woman was thrilled that
Buczala took her to Cracker Barrel for a breakfast special meal. Buczala explained that people take driving for granted. She’s turning 80 years old soon and she said she would want to receive the same kind of care that she has given if she no longer drives or she becomes incapacitated.
She can naturally talk to seniors about her life experiences and they often talk to her about their experiences. They easily connect and quickly become friends.
“We’ve had a lot of laughs,” she said.
Buczala enjoys cooking and is often matched with
seniors who have special diets or need help in the kitchen. She added that some seniors do not qualify for “Meals on Wheels” and this is a way she can help them. She also spends time with seniors in their home to keep them company. Sometimes while she is doing the laundry, she will sit and talk with them, or watch their favorite show
with them. She believes it improves their quality of life.
“It’s different sometimes watching TV by yourself than when someone is there and can talk to you about the show,” Buczala said.