Kim and Tom Stege found themselves in a place most couples don’t have the chance to experience. After years of working in IT and staying home with small children, they suddenly had the opportunity to pursue a career change that would give them the sense of fulfillment they longed for and give them more time together. The Steges had experience helping care for aging parents, knowing their desire to remain at home, when they learned about the Seniors Helping Seniors franchise. The brand stands apart in the in-home care industry by prioritizing the hiring of caregivers age 65+ to help their less active counterparts.
In addition to providing in-home care for local seniors, the Steges decided to open Seniors Helping Seniors in order to provide job opportunities to a sector of the labor market that is typically overlooked: seniors themselves.
“Kim and I have both cared for older family members as they aged and faced medical challenges,” said Tom. “We both wanted to give our ailing parents the ability to age in their homes, but we were not able to help our parents as much as we would have liked. Seniors Helping Seniors would have been a great resource in providing the support they needed. I’m excited to be able to provide an affordable service that allows people to age in place as an alternative to being cared for in an institution.”
Seniors Helping Seniors was founded by husband-and-wife duo Kiran and Philip Yocom. Kiran, who grew up in India, later worked to advance humanitarian efforts alongside Mother Teresa. After moving to the U.S. in 1995 and marrying her husband Philip, the Yocoms felt called to provide loving care to seniors and to cultivate an exchange of gifts at every generational level.
The in-home senior care industry has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, as the baby-boom generation has reached the phase in life where these services become necessary. An estimated 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 years old every day, and by 2050, nearly 20% of the U.S. population will be age 65 and older. According to the National Council on Aging, 90% of those seniors say they plan to remain in their homes for the next 5 to10 years. With more than 400 nursing homes projected to close in 2022 based on money and staffing issues, and the U.S. home care market expected to grow to $225 billion by 2024, in-home senior care companies across the country are pushing to meet the demand.
The Great Retirement has also resulted in many people looking to more meaningful and fulfilling industries to devote their time, such as senior care. This is welcome news for an industry that has been struggling through a historic workforce crisis since the onset of COVID-19, and Seniors Helping Seniors® locations have established themselves as a top choice for caregiving professionals because of its focus on fostering long-lasting and compatible relationships between the client and caregiver.
Further differentiating the Seniors Helping Seniors from other brands in the eldercare space is its commitment to hiring senior caregivers, which provides employment opportunities for retirees and better cultivates meaningful relationships between caregivers and care receivers. Retired seniors have the opportunity to enjoy a flexible schedule, earn extra income, and lend a hand with a fellow senior’s daily living needs.
