Seniors Helping Seniors Franchisee Finds Fulfillment

• I worked with AAA for 29 years; I was director of driver education and training. Eventually, I was offered an early retirement.

After leaving AAA, I started a consulting business where I work with seniors and their families with respect to driving and mobility. I do driving evaluations for older drivers.

I stumbled upon the opportunity to franchise with Seniors Helping Seniors through a franchise coach and it seemed like a great fit because I love helping people and I had experience working with seniors and their families. I felt good, not only about the company but also about the work that we would do to support seniors and the unique way we help them age in place.

• I have a masters degree in business so I had a pretty positive perspective of franchising. It is a good way to have a business but reduce your risk. The resources you have and the model you’re given is proven, regardless of your industry, ranging from fast food to senior care. I didn’t want to start something from scratch. I wanted to provide a service that people could use and really benefit from.

We are an aging population that will continue to grow in the coming years. With Seniors Helping Seniors, the market was right, the business model was right and the franchise was right. It was a great way to sunset my business career.

I look forward to passing it off to a younger generation when the time comes so seniors can continue to receive the in-home care and support they need.

• The brand is expanding and growing. I am excited about not just my growth, but the growth of the concept and the brand. We are making inroads and I think we can get ourselves on the national stage. That will help us grow and give us leverage to offer this great business model on a wider scale. We hire older adults to help seniors. People really appreciate that. People don’t want their mom or dad sitting with a younger person who might be busy looking at their phone or social media. The older caretakers can relate to the seniors and build stronger connections with them.

• I have three territories, which is more than enough. I hope to grow and keep expanding our services to one day include personal care. I have great partners in my Washington metropolitan area, and we're collaborating on a number of community-based events and marketing efforts. It's good to be able to not only leverage the other franchise partners in these efforts but to have them as a resource for me. We sometimes help each other with caregivers and support each other because I trust they are in it for the right reasons, just as I am.

My main goal is just to help people age in place and to help support families. Sometimes, we get calls from kids who are very distressed because they live halfway across the country from their mom or dad but their parents need help and care. I am so grateful we can provide that peace of mind to them.

• It’s really meaningful work. To go into someone's house and see the situation, and then, in a few months, to go back and see that things have really changed and improved is incredible. It might mean that someone's spirit is up and now they have mobility through their own house, or that they're eating better and making it to their doctor's appointments. I know the work we're doing is important.

• I have a gift for helping people. I am able to communicate in a way that is easy to understand and to make people feel comfortable. I ended up choosing Seniors Helping Seniors; it sort of worked and really dovetailed well with the driver safety consulting business where I was already working with seniors and their families with respect to senior driver safety and mobility, so it just seemed like a really good fit for me. I felt good, not only about the company but about the work that we would do to support seniors and help them age in place.

• This isn’t Chick-fil-A; we aren’t selling chicken sandwiches. It’s not always pleasant work, but it’s gratifying work. You have to have the kind of heart required to do this work. It’s not just a money-grab. The work comes in spurts and every client may not be the right fit for you, so you need to have the right intentions. This is not an impulse purchase. People are methodical about their research and they trust you because they are bringing a stranger into their home to provide care for their aging mother who has dementia, for example. A decision like that requires a lot of trust. Be patient, but be sure your heart is in it for the right reason. It’s not glamorous – but it’s gratifying and meaningful work.