Seniors Helping Seniors: A different kind of home care

THE WOODLANDS, Texas –– The situation is familiar: seniors want to live independently but need help and aren’t enthralled with a nursing home.

These sorts of domestic situations aren’t lost of Dave Hoffman, owner of Seniors Helping Seniors in The Woodlands. Hoffman recently started the service in order provide in-home care for seniors, by seniors.

“I happened upon Seniors Helping Seniors, I didn’t know about it until recently,” he said. “I wanted to do something that gave back and helped others.”

Hoffman, who had recently worked in the furniture industry for 15 years, decided to leave that career and pursue one in senior services instead.

Seniors Helping Seniors assigns generally younger seniors who are retired or semi-retired to provide companionship in-home and help with home care, light maintenance, yard work and other non-medical needs such as transportation.

“A lot of people would rather stay at home than go to a nursing home,” Hoffman said. “Some people that live alone might not have any family, or they do but live far away and that’s where we can come in.

“The age similarities can make people feel more comfortable than if their provider was much younger,” he said. “A lot of times people like to sit and talk, so in a sense the seniors helping can be more like a friend and visit with people.”

The company started as a nonprofit by Kiran Yocom, a native of India who met Mother Teresa as a child and followed her and worked with her into adulthood.

To find out more, residents can go to www.seniorshelpingseniors.com or call 281-907-2660.