Seniors Helping Seniors Opens Branford, CT Franchise

By: Seniors Helping Seniors | 2 Shares 183 Reads

March 26, 2008 // Franchising.com // - Wyomissing Hills, Pa.--To help meet the growing demand of older New Englanders who want to remain in their own homes and stay as self-sufficient as possible, Seniors Helping Seniors® In-Home Services (SHS) has established another New England franchise in Branford, Connecticut, to serve the south central portion of the state.

The latest franchise will serve the shoreline towns of East Haven, Branford, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook and Old Saybrook and the inland communities of Wallingford, North Haven, North Branford, Middlefield, Durham, Haddam, Killingworth, Essex, Deep River and Chester.

Seniors Helping Seniors--which has four master license holders and some 30 franchise partners in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and California--is a national caregiver and companionship organization and the only one that matches seniors who need in-home care services with seniors who provide them.

The newest franchise is owned and operated by Debra Danker, Branford, a Registered Nurse and lifelong resident of Connecticut. During her 30 years in nursing, she has worked in hospitals, in education, in surgical centers and even as a nurse athletic trainer. However, most of her nursing career has been spent in community home health care, the majority of that time working with seniors and their families. She is a graduate of the Southern Connecticut State College School of Nursing, New Haven, Conn.

She explained why she chose to join Seniors Helping Seniors. " When I worked as a nurse with seniors, I felt instrumental in improving a patient's course of recovery and returning them to a level of functioning with which they were satisfied and deserved. While providing in-home care to seniors, I often felt that my services were not only needed, but were appreciated and not just expected because it was my job. Helping seniors is not really a job; to me it is enjoyable and rewarding time well spent with someone who values your assistance."

Danker said that our health care system has changed so much over the last 10 years; it no longer comes close to solving the issues that today's seniors face.

"There was a time when a senior was provided help at home as long as they had insurance coverage and their doctor agreed it was necessary. Now unfortunately, it is not enough that a senior has paid into the system for most of their life and that their doctor agrees that they need help. To get home care services these days usually requires a hospital stay and, even then, it is necessary to meet specific requirements to qualify. This leaves a very large part of our senior population and their loved ones, if they are lucky enough to have them, facing life-altering decisions about their continued survival."

"The reality is that people are living longer and the senior population will continue to grow. Enabling seniors to remain safe and as independent as possible in their own homes means a lot to me," she continued. "It can alleviate anxieties from unmet needs, provide a measure of security for them and their families and can go a long way toward providing seniors with the happiness and comfort they deserve."

Philip Yocom, and his wife, Kiran Yocom, co-founded Seniors Helping Seniors In-Home Services (SHS), which began as a non-profit organization serving Reading and Berks County, Pennsylvania. That first non-profit organization today encompasses more than 250 senior providers helping more than 600 senior receivers. In 2007, the non-profit Seniors Helping Seniors provided nearly 17, 000 hours of service.

"I was very fortunate to find Seniors Helping Seniors," said Danker, "as their program combines the obvious need for a feasible option for seniors to get help at home with my professional and personal desire to make assistance to seniors personal, affordable and available."

Philip Yocom said, "What began as a heartfelt mission to fill a need that was not being served by our local community is now being recognized as a prime business opportunity being fueled by the fastest growing demographic in our society."

He said, "We want the existing Seniors Helping Seniors organization and any future franchises to be the first place that seniors in need of non-medical services and those seeking extra income call."

"We will support all our franchisees with all of the expertise we have gained in running Seniors Helping Seniors. We'll also provide marketing, sales, management, and technology support."

He added, "We believe we have found a practical, cost-effective way to help seniors remain independent and to continue contributing. As we grow nationwide, we remain committed to providing our brand of loving, giving, caring, compassionate service."

Seniors Helping Seniors also has New England franchises on Cape Cod, Mass., and at Granby, Fairfield, Waterford and Stonington, Conn. The Stonington franchise also covers Washington County in Rhode Island.

For more information contact Debra Danker at seniorscare@comcast.net, 203-488-9200. For franchise info, e-mail Philip Yocom at philip@seniorshelpingseniors.com.