Bette and Bernie Fitzgerald with their daughter Elizabeth
Why Senior Helpers?
More than 90 percent of seniors want to age in their own home with dignity but getting the right type of care can seem daunting. At Senior Helpers we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated.
Bette and Bernie Fitzgerald opened their Senior Helpers office in 2014 because of their passion for helping others and commitment to delivering the best possible in-home care experience to seniors and their families. Currently, their Senior Helpers operation proudly services clients across nine different Florida counties.
We take in-home care seriously and have made it a priority to screen, train and coach our caregiving staff so they are equipped to deliver on our promise of quality in home care. We have built an exceptional team of care professionals, each having undergone background screens, as well as formalized training, testing and skills competency confirmation with our Registered Nurse. Our caregivers regularly complete professional training through our proprietary training and education programs that are at the forefront of the in-home care industry.
Our dedication to improving home care quality and client safety has enabled us to earn the The Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission®, the preeminent driver of quality improvement and patient safety in health care across the globe. Senior Helpers has adopted and been certified to meet the rigorous standards and practices required for this distinguished certification.
Our Committment
Senior Helpers is dedicated to providing the highest quality care and client service in the industry. Our caregivers are background screened, trained and expertly matched to meet the need of each client we serve.
We don’t send a stranger. We understand that one of the most difficult aspects of being the client of a home care agency is having caregivers show up at our door without being properly introduced or prepared. Or in the case of having a substitute, not getting any advance notification of a change — then dealing with substitutes who were poorly prepared to provide appropriate care. With Senior Helpers, this should not happen. We are dedicated to providing proper introductions and timely communication of any required change in service staff. And all caregivers are fully briefed on client needs, preferences and care plans before being added to a shift.
Caregivers are supervised employees, not independent contractors. We are not a referral service or “nurse registry,” where workers are assigned to cases, leaving families to sort through the fine points themselves — whether taxes get paid, whether background checks have been performed, whether they’re bonded and insured. We do all these things in advance of hiring caregivers, along with testing caregiver skills, verifying credentials, and speaking with families and employers they’ve worked with before. All of our caregivers work under the strict supervision of an assigned Caregiver Manager and Registered Nurse.
Safety and security is our first priority. Everyone at Senior Helpers is focused every day on delivering top quality in-home care that is safe and secure for both clients and caregivers. Caregivers receive continual health education and skills assessments in critical areas such as hand hygiene, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), home safety and sanitization. All caregivers and clients are regularly screened for any signs of illness or health concerns. Caregivers are provided with and required to correctly use PPE, such as gloves, masks and hand sanitizer, while working with clients.
Quality caregiving starts with education. All of our caregivers are tested and certified as either Home Health Aides (HHAs) or Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs). Each undergoes skills assessments when on boarded to the agency and regularly thereafter. Ongoing training is required for caregivers in areas such as infection control, hygiene, nutrition, home safety, and Alzheimer’s/Dementia and Parkinson’s care. This unrelenting focus on information sharing, education and training gives our staff the proficiency needed to best serve and protect our vulnerable clients.
Focus on the client. Senior Helpers employs proprietary programs to assess each client’s health status, goals and concerns. Our Staying Home Safe® program and proprietary Life Profiles® patient scoring assessment tool gives us an elevated focus on clinical best practice in client care designed to reduce or prevent readmission to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
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 Our Team
Bernie Fitzgerald
Owner
Bette Fitzgerald
Owner
Beth Wiley
Senior Care Specialist
Having been with Senior Helpers since 2018, Beth has acquired a firm understanding of the diverse aspects in home care necessary to consistently deliver quality, individualized client care. She has over 20 years of experience in the medical field, with hands-on practice in home care client services, care team management, recruitment, training, and scheduling. Beth manages the client care and onboarding services for Senior Helpers across Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties with a primary focus on community relations and client satisfaction. She is a native Floridian who enjoys spending her free time with family and making gorgeous floral arrangements. Beth’s daily focus on delivering quality care, coupled with her passion for client and community engagement, make her a critical component to the success of Senior Helpers of The Villages.
Great coordination between client, client’s family and staff.
Areas We Serve
Senior Helpers of The Villages provides a full range of senior home care services for you or your loved one—from companionship and housework help, to more complex care services, including disease management, Live-In and 24-hour care services.
Senior Helpers of The Villages serves the cities and towns of: