Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Boston and South Shore

Meet the Senior Helpers of Boston and South Shore Office

As the owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore, I have been in the senior care industry since 2009. Senior care is my passion and my goal is to set a new standard in senior care in Massachusetts. This means setting the bar high in caregiver training, education, and delivering superior quality of services and experiences to seniors and families.

It is also why I advocate and lead the charge for home care licensing and standardized practices. As a frequent contributor to the South Shore Senior News and the Jewish Advocate I focus on critical issues of aging and senior care. As a certified trainer, industry educator, and past faculty in Lasell’s ambitious E.L.D.E.R. Partnership Program, I hope to positively influence the next generation of professional leaders.

Because together, we all raise the bar in senior care.

I have always believed aging is a journey. At Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore we meet seniors wherever they are in their deeply personal travels. My team and I are committed to delivering exceptional care; not only as a high-touch agency with world-class caregivers, but as a significant True North for seniors and families as they consider the infinite joys of aging in place.

Our History

I am passionate about successful aging.

I began this journey as the founding president of my synagogue in Swampscott, MA. I saw firsthand the challenges of our aging members. In Home Care, I realized, was the most effective way to support successful aging in place.

As an agency owner and as a family caregiver I see the challenges of navigating the complex systems and providers of care. These pose a barrier for most to obtain the support they need. As a family caregiver I have witnessed and understand the difficulty and stress of this from the inside.

My agency has grown because we have a simple rule. If it is not the right answer for my parents, it is not the right answer for anyone else’s parents either.

This has shaped the way we approach everything we do: from a decision to have nurse case managers, to staffing only Certified Nursing Assistants and Home Health Aides as caregivers. It has driven the introduction of our proprietary LiFE Profile, (Li=Lifestyle, F= Feasibility , E= Evaluation assessment) which assesses your individual risks, so we can partner with you and your system of care to give you the best foundation for success.

Our philosophy drove the creation of our own 75 hour Home Health Aide training program under the guidelines of the MA Home Care Aide Council. It stands behind the over 16 hours of continuing education we provide to nurses and social workers across the Boston metropolitan area. In short, while there is NO regulation of home care agencies in Massachusetts, we have sought to set our bar far higher than the standards commonly practiced in the market.

As Owner of Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore & South I have learned that caregiving in the home is made up of many moving parts.

On a macro level it requires operational discipline, attention to detail, and a broad range and assortment of talents.

On the most significant level, caregiving, requires a rare combination of passion, compassion, and acquired skills. One does not wake up one day and announce the intention to become a caregiver for a senior. Of this I am absolutely sure. There is a journey to caregiving that is as dignified and diverse as the caregivers who make it.

I believe strongly in the critical need for professional case management and strong business practices. As an employer, I do know it is the aides that are the secret sauce in supporting an elder age in place.

Today, the Senior Helpers Boston & South Shore team has grown to serve hundreds of seniors in more than 75 communities in and around the Greater Boston area. This has not been by accident, but by serving our clients and families successfully. Most importantly, it has come from sticking to our approach with intention and passion.

Our process

At Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore we believe that being able to age in place is the best care and comfort of all. As we keep our process confidential and personal, at the same time we want to keep it streamlined and easy to access.

Our nurse will gather basic information from you over the phone, and we will set a time to meet with you in person. When we meet we will review all of your options for support based on the guidance of a proprietary risk analysis (Our LiFE Profile (Li=Lifestyle, F= Feasibility, E= Evaluation assessment) and conversations with you / your family and loved ones.

Together we can discuss our extended suite of programs and services and balance them against:

Your family's specific goals and the risks that could interfere with them

Your loved one's daily plans & schedule

General and specific medical concerns: both immediate and future

Your identified care needs

Your expectations for ongoing communication and follow-up plans

There are never any questions too small or unimportant to be asked, and we want you and your family to be engaged and informed in asking them all. After all, for us to be successful in crafting your plan of care and support, we need you to be an active part in building it.

Meet the Senior Helpers of Boston and South Shore Team

Mark Friedman

Owner, MBA, Certified Dementia Practitioner

Mark is the owner of Senior Helpers Boston & South Shore. His franchise is one of the top performing businesses in the country and his success in growing the company has not been coincidental. Prior to entering the senior living industry, Mark served for decades as global consultant to public and private companies and not-for-profits on managing change and improving performance.

Friedman also founded Real Time Strategy where he focused on time-critical business issues ranging from strategy development and executive alignment to performance management and operational improvement. His clients ranged from NYSE public global companies or their international equivalent to small firms and not-for profit entities seeking to position their strategy or operations for strong growth or improved profitability.

Mr. Friedman holds an MSIA (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University (now The Tepper School of Business) with High Distinction and a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia. He was the founding president of Congregation Shirat Hayam of the North Shore in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

Robyn Shea, RN

Client Services Manager, R.N., Certified Dementia Practitioner

As Client Services Manager Robyn directs and manages virtually every activity related to client care, most often beginning with the initial telephone call, and following through the intake conversation and Life Profile assessment. Her work continues through the nuts and bolts of client agreements, the fine details of scheduling, and overseeing the magic and science of caregiver/client matching. Passionate in her work and deeply intuitive, Robyn has a Master’s degree in Nursing, is a Registered Nurse Anesthetist and a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

Laureen Walsh, RN

Field Case Manager and Director of Training, Certified Dementia Practitioner

With more than 45 years as an R.N., Laureen’s deep experience includes in-hospital surgical pediatrics, and responsibilities as night shift, head and charge nurse, before moving into private duty care with Partners Healthcare at Home. Laureen develops and administers our ongoing caregiver trainings, including advanced skills education for care in Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and complex diagnoses. She also performs client assessments and re-assesses ongoing care plans. Laureen is a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

Allison Melahouris

Senior Director, Outreach and Institutional Relationships and Operations Specialist

Allison has dedicated her career to serving seniors. Her passion is founded on her love and dedication to her grandparents. They were each the pinnacle of her life development. Her grandfather, who passed away in her senior year of high school, was the first experience she had has a hands-on care giver.

Allison began her career as an activity assistant in a nursing home and held many positions in senior living over the last 25 years: from Department Head, Executive Director, Regional Director of Operations, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Resident Care and Quality Resident Services and Senior Vice President of Operations and Strategic Initiatives. Whether it was driving a clinical program or ground up development and opening of a new senior living community, it has always been the residents, families, and associates at the forefront of her decision making. Allison had the experience of three of her four grandparents living in an assisted living community that she was an employee of, so she truly understands the balance of being a caregiver and an employee.

Allison resides in Bedford, MA with her husband and son. In her spare time, she enjoys group fitness classes (Barre, Yoga and Zumba are some of her favorites.) Spending time with friends, family, cooking or enjoying a dinner out is always fun. She is trying very hard to learn how to garden - if the pollen will just cooperate. She especially loves to try new things each season in New England, having grown up in NY. Allison has a Bachelor of Arts from Molloy College where she majored in Gerontology. She has a Masters degree in health care administration with a minor in Gerontology from Long Island University, CW Post.

Cynthia LaBrecque, Certified Dementia Practitioner

Director of Marketing and Outreach, Boston and South Shore

Cynthia brings a lifetime commitment to helping others along with a successful career in healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing to her role at Senior Helpers. In addition to her professional roles, Cynthia has also volunteered in a number of roles including as an EMT, a mentor and tutor for at risk girls, a successful fundraiser for several non-profits, and as a volunteer with her trained therapy collie. Cynthia’s dedication to senior care and successfully aging in place has been further strengthened through navigating the hospice journeys of both her mother and grandmother. Cynthia strives to combine her professional education, her personal experience, and her passion for helping others to further deepen relationships and collaborations with consumers, clients, and professional partners. Cynthia is also a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

What are you interested in?

When can I expect to hear back?

At Senior Helpers Boston and South Shore our goal is to respond to all care inquiries within 8 hours of receipt. Employment inquiries will be responded to within 24 hours of receipt. Our office is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm local time, and after-hours calls are routed to one of our very competent team members. You should always hear a warm, friendly voice on the other end of the line when you call- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.