Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Stillwater

Meet the Stillwater office

More than 90% of seniors want to be able to age in their own home with dignity but getting the right type of care can seem daunting. At Senior Helpers of Stillwater we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. We recognize the growing need for in-home care services, and with our passion for helping others, we are committed to delivering the best possible care to seniors in the Stillwater community.

We take the opportunity to provide care in your home seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible. 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. You can feel confident that your loved one is in good hands with Senior Helpers.

Our History

Senior Helpers was founded in 2002 by Tony Bonacuse with the help of Peter Ross after their firsthand experience in caring for their respective family members. Tony and Peter identified a need that was not being filled properly by the other companies. They realized that most seniors would prefer to age in their own home rather than move into an unfamiliar institution. Unfortunately, the options available to most seniors were very limited. Most seniors did not have access to well-trained, dependable and accessible in-home care. This was the mission-driven spark that started Senior Helpers.

The first office opened in Baltimore, Maryland, and quickly developed a reputation for delivering excellent in-home senior care with their well-trained staff of professional caregivers. Based on the success of the Baltimore location, the company began to expand. Over the past 13 years, the Senior Helpers family has grown to include a network of more than 300 locally owned and operated franchises across the United States.

Senior Helpers of Stillwater was proud to join the system in 2023. Like every other owner, we too are fully-committed to the original goal of providing dependable and accessible in-home care with well-trained caregivers. Nothing is more important to us than being the best available resource for seniors and families in our community. We are lucky to serve hundreds of seniors in our community, and we are committed to continuing to provide uncompromising levels of care to all our families.

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 Stillwater Team

Pat Reardon

Owner, Client and Community Relations

Pat Reardon was born in Youngstown, OH and is the oldest of 8 children of his mom and dad. He grew up one block away from his Grandma Reardon, and he would visit her often and help with small chores, but mostly just visited.

Pat attended John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio where he earned his BS in Business Administration. He then went on to earn his MBA at the University of California – Irvine.

Pat had a successful and rewarding sales career in the packaged food industry, but after 35 years he was ready to move onto what he terms “a more mission-based” organization. When a friend told him to investigate senior care, it brought back memories of helping his grandma. He also was familiar with home care as he and his siblings had used a company when his mom needed help staying at home.

Pat and his wife Geri opened Senior Helpers of Stillwater to help seniors maintain and hopefully improve their quality of life. Their goal is to help seniors stay at home safely.

Pat met his wife Geri on Lake Minnetonka and were married in 1992. Pat and Geri have five children, and a yellow lab named Derby.

Geri Reardon

Owner, Client Advocate

Gerilynn (Geri) Weinzierl Reardon was born in Minnesota, and she lived right next door to her grandma, so she too would visit often and help when it was needed. She also learned a ton from her grandma about taking care of what needed done. Geri attended St. Benedict College and double majored in Business and German.

Geri was a stay-at-home mom for several years but has gone back to work part-time at BMO Harris Bank. Concern and care for seniors is in her DNA, and both she and Pat are excited to help if they can.

Colleen Smith

Office Manager

Colleen Smith, our Office Manager, comes to us from Wisconsin but grew up just north of Stillwater in Scandia, Minnesota. Colleen is a mother of three and grandmother of two and has been a caregiver for several family members who have dealt with the effects of dementia. As the youngest of five, she knows the importance and value of helping those in need and enjoys training and coaching our future caregivers.

Melanie Lee

Melanie Lee has a Master's of Science in Nursing, with emphasis in Community Health from Case Western Reserve University. She has an extensive history of working with families and community support. She has worked with the life spectrum as a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner, Licensed School Nurse and now Community Health Nurse emphasizing long term support for seniors and those with disabilities. Melanie spends most of her days gardening for the bees and butterflies next to her lake home with four-footed friends and family.

Belinda Obi-Rapu

Director of Nursing

Belinda Obi-Rapu is our Director of Nursing, and she is happy to be with Senior Helpers of Stillwater. As Belinda says, she is living the American dream! She states, " I work in a field that I love and have great compassion for. I want to use my experience to help the team grow." Belinda has an extensive background in elder care and over 17 years of experience in healthcare. She has her BS in Nursing and an MBA. Belinda likes to spend her time off with her kids, shopping, and catching up on Netflix!

Taylor Kistler

Client Services/Scheduling Manager

Taylor comes to us with eight years of caregiving experience, both in home as well as in facilities. In her role, Taylor will be primarily in charge of scheduling, as well as staying connected to our clients and caregivers.

Taylor is a proud mom of two children, a son Hayze who is 5 years old, and a daughter Nevaeh who is one years old. Taylor is engaged to be married to Christopher with a wedding date still to be finalized. Taylor is a die-hard Vikings fan, and in fact Christopher proposed at the Vikings vs. Packers game in September of 2022!

Taylor also has two dogs, Nipsey, a German shepherd/akita mix and London, a poodle terrier. Taylor is a kickboxer and has even competed in kickboxing. She enjoys shopping and going on adventures with her family.

Meet the Stillwater office

Our History

Our process

Meet the Stillwater Team

Photos from the Stillwater Office

Areas We Serve