Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Polk County

Meet the Polk County Office

More than 90% of seniors want to age in their own home with dignity but getting the right type of care can seem daunting. At Senior Helpers of Polk County we believe getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. Jorge Giraldo MBA opened the Senior Helpers of Polk County office in 2008 because of his passion for helping others and his interest in the growing need for in-home care services. Jorge Giraldo, MBA is committed to delivering the best possible in-home care to seniors in the Polk County community.

We take the opportunity to provide in-home care seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible. Over the past 16+ years we have built an exceptional team of care professionals, each committed to remaining at the forefront of the in-home care industry through our proprietary ongoing training and education programs.

Our History

Jorge Giraldo, MBA, has always had a special place for the elderly in his heart. He fondly remembers his late grandmothers and other elderly family members and the many stories they told him as a young boy. He also sadly remembers the time when his grandmother was bed bound after a stroke and how difficult that was for the family. Fast forward another 10 years and Jorge watched his family care for his aunt, who lived with Alzheimer’s for many years. She went from a smart, independent and strong woman to needing help with daily activities. It took a toll on the family, especially his own mother who stayed with her many sleepless nights. This experience shaped the longing to help others so they too wouldn’t have to see their family’s health deteriorate as they selflessly cared for their loved ones. There had to be a professional service to ease this intense family burden- alas, Senior Helpers was the way he could make a difference, even if not with his own family from years ago, but for countless families well into the future!

Our team has grown over the years thanks to the wonderful referrals we receive from our community partners. We work hard to ensure our clients and caregivers are well taken care of, each and every one of our team members and clients are very important to us. We have been lucky to serve hundreds of seniors in our community over the years, and we are committed to continuing to provide excellent service to our aging population for many more years!

Our process

The first step in the process is a complimentary, initial in-home care assessment with a Senior Helpers consultant. This assessment can help you understand the true needs of your loved one, and your options. Together we can discuss their needs, our senior care services and determine what’s best for your entire family.

We will cover:

Your family's specific goals

Your loved one's daily plan design and schedule

Pricing and payment methods

Implementation process

Ongoing communication and follow-up plan

Meet the Polk County Team

Jorge Giraldo, MBA

CEO/Owner

Responsibilities: Jorge prides himself on creating a strong, service-minded, hard-working and efficient team. Jorge believes that each and every employee is important and treats everyone with respect and allows for input and ideas along the way. Creating a very good working environment is his number one priority, not only for the office staff but for the caregivers. Jorge is always looking for meaningful ways to continually reward his team and assist in their development. Jorge believes that a happy, well taken care of team will go above and beyond for clients, our community and each other. Jorge also enjoys the strategic nature of the business, he is always looking for ways to continue to help more in the community, whether it be through hands on skill building classes to care for those with dementia or donating time, money and expertise to help our community.

Education/Experience: Jorge has a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and an MBA in Finance from Iona College/Hagan School of Business in New Rochelle, New York. He is also a Certified Lead Auditor. Jorge is also a certified Senior Gems trainer and a certified Virtual Dementia Tour facilitator.

Nancy Giraldo, Registered Nurse

Responsibilities: Nancy serves as our Director of Nursing.

Education/Experience: Nancy has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from College of Mount St. Vincent in New York.

Steven Magee

Office Manager

Responsibilities: Steven manages daily operations and projects for the office and field team. He is also the liaison between clients and caregivers and the business side of Senior Helpers relating to any type of transactional needs such as payroll, invoicing, and accounts receivable.

Education/Experience: Steven graduated from Lakeland Senior High School with high honors and a GPA of 3.8. He acquired his vast experience in communications and customer service previously as a supervisor with Verizon. He is currently pursuing a Business Administration in Finance degree through Hillsborough Community College.

Jada Mims

Client Services Manager

Responsibilities: Jada is responsible for our overall client satisfaction and caregiver competencies. She introduces caregivers to new clients as well as completes new client assessments. She ensures each home has an updated plan of care as well as helps represent Senior Helpers at networking events.

Education/Experience: Jada graduated from Auburndale Senior High School, 14th in her class, with a 4.6 GPA. She then went on to Polk State College to obtain an associate degree then University of South Florida for her Bachelor of Sciences in Health Sciences cum laude. Jada has been a CNA since 2020 caring for Polk County’s elderly population and is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program for a Master of Health Administration degree at UCF.

Holly Shepard

Caregiver Manager

Responsibilities: Holly is responsible for the management of the caregiver team in the field, while also acting as an ongoing resource to our caregivers to ensure they are properly trained for any specific client’s needs. She also will attend new client or caregiver introductions to ensure any new caregiver is comfortable with any new client.

Education/Experience: Holly has many years of experience as a Certified Nursing Assistant for home health agencies and nursing homes. She enjoys being a part of elderly care.

Georgiana Goodson

Community Relations Manager

Responsibilities: Whether Senior Helpers’ assistance is needed 24/7 or just a few hours a day, Georgiana provides complimentary, in-home care assessments to determine what is best for the entire family. She enthusiastically represents Senior Helpers at health fairs, trade shows, training conferences, events, and senior community service functions. She serves on various boards including the Senior Connection Center.

Education/Experience: With a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Florida and having been voted “Most Spirited Female” at Hernando High School, Georgiana has worked in banking, at an independent school, and in an assisted living facility.

Ginny Wolfe

Dementia and Parkinson’s Care Educator

Responsibilities: Ginny teaches the Parkinson's Care Program to our caregivers as well as trains all our caregivers on Alzheimer's/Dementia caregiving techniques using our Senior Gems program created for Senior Helpers by Teepa Snow, an expert on Alzheimer's/Dementia care.

Education/Experience: Ginny has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Adrian College and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Siena Heights College. She also has a certification in Non-profit Management from Case-Western Reserve University and a certification in Corporate Management from Harvard University.

Brianna Hitchcock

Lead Scheduler

Responsibilities: Brianna works with Senior Helpers clients and their families to schedule caregiver visits. She oversees scheduling as a whole and her responsiveness to our clients’ needs result in a very high level of client satisfaction.

Education/Experience: Brianna is a 2021 Auburndale High School Graduate. Brianna started with Senior Helpers as a Companion caregiver who provided excellent companionship to our clients and eventually received her Home Health Aide Certificate to assist with personal care. In addition to caregiver, Brianna also has a background in customer service working in the fast-paced retail world.

Charlene Townsley

Lead Caregiver Mentor

Responsibilities: Charlene acts as an ongoing resource to our caregivers in the field to ensure they are properly trained for any specific client’s needs. She also will attend new client or caregiver introductions to ensure any new caregiver is comfortable with any new client.

Education/Experience: Charlene has been a CNA for 45 years and a MA for 15 years, she went to Everest University for Medical Assistant and Travis Vo-Tech for Medical Secretary.

Jackie McCullough

Administrative Assistant

Responsibilities: Jackie is that friendly voice when you call the office. In addition to handling the high call volume she backs up and assists the entire office team to support our caregivers and provide the highest quality care to our clients. Jackie also works closely with Holly on onboarding our new hires.

Education/Experience: Jackie has over 35 years of office experience, helping people has always been her passion, she always puts others before herself and enjoys making a difference however she can.

Alzheimer's and Dementia Care

In 2013, 2015 and 2017, we brought Teepa Snow, one of America’s leading educators on dementia, to Polk County. She has worked as a Registered Occupational Therapist for over 30 years her wealth of experience has led her to develop our Senior Gems® program.

As experts in Alzheimer's and dementia care, you can trust us to make your loved one's life, and yours, much easier and more enjoyable. If your elderly loved one is suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, it can also take a tremendous toll on your own physical and emotional well-being. But with assistance from Senior Helpers, you don't have to go it alone.

We can create a customized home care plan that changes as your loved one's needs change. Our care team has extensive training and experience in providing the right level of individual care and support, while carefully monitoring everything from medication to daily activities. Our Senior Gems® approach is about creating a positive environment that focuses on what they can do, not what they can’t do.

Veterans

Senior Helpers of Lakeland takes great pride in helping Veterans find the homecare benefits for which they are eligible. In addition, we honor our veterans for their service to our great country! We host veteran pinning ceremonies at client’s homes, facilities and even our office for our team. It is a way for us to let our veterans know their service for our country is still important to us and always will be.