Meet The Fargo, ND Team | Senior Helpers of Fargo

Meet the Fargo 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 Eastern North Dakota, we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. Jeff and Tanya Ferber opened the Senior Helpers Eastern North Dakota office in 2020 because of their passion for helping others and their interest in the growing need for in-home care services. We are committed to delivering the best possible in-home care to seniors in our community.

We take in-home care seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible. Since opening, 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

Senior Helpers Eastern North Dakota was proud to join the system in 2020. Like every other owner, we too are fully committed to the original goal of providing dependable and affordable in-home care with well-trained caregivers. Nothing is more important to us than being a trusted advisor and resource for seniors and families in our community. We are committed to providing uncompromising levels of care to all our families.

We never send a stranger. We believe one of the most difficult aspects of being the client of a home care agency is having caregivers show up at the door without being properly introduced or prepared. With Senior Helpers, this will not happen. A proper introduction will be made. 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, along with testing skills, verifying credentials, speaking with families they’ve worked with before. Nurse support is available 24/7. Few things are as traumatic as being rushed to a hospital on a stretcher, but when a caregiver cannot call a nurse for advice about how to deal with medical situations, the only option may be calling 911. Barring a life-threatening emergency, this should not be the first phone call a caregiver makes. Most private-duty home care companies offer little or no nurse support.

Why work with us at Senior Helpers?

We are hands-on owners that are here for you 24/7, 365 days a year

We become part of your family and you become part of ours

We pride ourselves on creating a strong, service-minded, hard-working and efficient team. We believe that a happy, respected, well taken care of team will go above and beyond for clients, our community and each other

We perform extensive background checks on both the State and Federal Level and all of our caregivers are bonded and insured

We train our caregivers in many areas, and we are especially proud of the training for Dementia & Alzheimer’s through our exclusive Senior Gems program based on the Gems™, techniques, strategies, and overall approach to care which was created and developed by Teepa Snow, Positive Approach, LLC.

Most importantly, we communicate with our caregivers daily and treat them with utmost respect as they are the heart of our business.

As owners, we are reachable far beyond just normal business hours as we know emergency situations often arise.

Trusting the care of a loved one is a leap of faith and we understand and empathize. Call us and let’s get started.

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 Fargo Team

Tanya Ferber

Owner

As owner, Tanya coordinates the business operations of Senior Helpers. Growing up in Fargo, Tanya watched as her Mother worked tirelessly to care for her Grandfather with Parkinson’s while balancing her career and family. In later years, her Mother provided care to her Father when he was terminally ill with cancer. Although, it was important to her to be his caregiver, it was difficult as she was dealing with her own health issues, making it not only emotionally challenging but physically challenging on her as well. Tanya knows firsthand the challenges of living at a distance and making sure that your loved ones have the care and support that they need during these difficult times. She recently moved back to her hometown to be closer to her aging Mother who is now a widow and to be an advocate for her healthcare and make sure she remains safe at home for as long as possible. Tanya has spent over 20 years in leadership, operations and performance improvement positions in the healthcare space. She was moved to make a career change when she and her family returned to Fargo allowing her to provide a valuable service to others in her hometown, working collaboratively with families to determine personalized care plans to keep loved ones safe and happy at home, reducing hospital admissions and the need for higher cost care. She and her staff also provide advice to clients and their families at a time when choices become difficult. She holds a B.S. in Nursing from North Dakota State University and a M.B.A. from the University of Phoenix.

Jeff Ferber

Owner

Jeff was raised in West Fargo and initially obtained a college degree in the engineering field but felt unfulfilled in his career. It was at that point he decided to pursue a career helping others in the healthcare field. He graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University in 2006. Since then he has worked at various hospitals in leadership and operations positions. The last 5 years he has specialized in the field of medication safety, working to make healthcare systems safer for their patients. Like his wife, Jeff endured the loss of his father from cancer while living from a distance. It was, and still is, the most difficult time that his family has ever experienced. Through it all, his mother took a leave of absence from her job and worked hard to care for his father at home until his passing. It was very important to the family that his father remained in a loving, comforting surrounding. Knowing his own family’s personal struggles with care and working firsthand as a member of the healthcare community, he realized the need others have for emotional and physical support of their loved ones. When Tanya and he decided to move back to the area, the decision to help seniors, terminally ill, and those with disabilities stay in their homes was a natural fit.

Lorie Cich

Business Development Director

Lorie is from a very small town in North Dakota but has lived in the Fargo/ Moorhead area since 1991. She moved to the area to attend college at Interstate Business College where she obtained a degree as a Medical Assistant. She is passionate about anything healthcare. In 2002 she switched gears and started working in the Real Estate / Mortgage industry until 2022 when she circled back to healthcare and back to her real calling. In her downtime, Lorie loves reading, doing crafts and loves any sort of outdoor summer activity and most of all spending time with her 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Shayne Pfau

Operations Manager

Shayne was born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. She has a diverse background with over 20 years of experience in Business Operations, Leadership and Professional Development, Human Resources, and Customer Service. She is new to the home healthcare industry but is excited to work for an organization that helps others and provides a high quality of life for clients and their families. Shayne currently lives in West Fargo with her husband, four boys (including a set of twins), and her two dogs Ozzie and Gizmo. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, family time, attending her kid's events, and cooking and baking.

Mikaela Brown

Care Manager, LSW

Mikaela has lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for the majority of her life. Mikaela is a graduate of the University of North Dakota. She is a licensed social worker/care manager, minoring in psychology and gerontology. She has previously worked as a Caregiver, Direct Support Professional, Client Services Manager, and Accounting Coordinator. She has done anything from coordinating events and activities for seniors to attend, creating client care plans, and attending community events to promote the company to personally being the one to make sure our clients are completely taken care of, happy with their services, and supported in whatever phase of life they are in. She has been right at her client’s side until the very end; those memories and moments mean everything to her. Her position with Senior Helpers has always been her passion, to help the elderly and to be a light in their lives. She is very close with her grandparents and has previously gone on many church mission trips where they were involved with serving the elderly community. These are the experiences that have led her to her career at a senior home care agency. Building relationships and rapport with seniors is the greatest thing about this career. “It is the best feeling when your seniors are so happy to see you walk through their door, that’s how you know you truly make an impact in their lives,” Mikaela says. She knows without a doubt this is what she was called to do. When she is not in the office, you can find her working at Juice Box or Natural Grocers. She enjoys living an active and holistic lifestyle, being involved with church Bible study groups, and traveling.

Melissa Harrison

Care Team Manager

Melissa was raised in a very small town in SE ND. Melissa started her journey in healthcare at Eventide Jamestown as a CNA in 2010. At that point she knew she wanted to remain in healthcare and worked in different areas. Melissa became the Support Services Coordinator at Eventide Jamestown where she worked until 2018. She decided to try another position as Administrative Assistant to the Director of the Heritage Centre Assisted Living where in 2020, she became the Director when her boss retired. She credits her previous boss Sue Purdy for believing in her and giving her all of the tools to succeed. In May of 2023 Melissa and her husband Arnie moved back to the F-M area to assist in caring for her brother who was on hospice with lung cancer. That is one experience that she will forever hold dear to her to be able to be with him and the family when the time came for him to return home. Melissa was a Care Team Manager at another community when this position at Senior Helpers came open. After meeting Tanya, she knew this was where she was meant to be. Outside of work, Melissa likes to spend time with her husband of 28 years, their 3 daughters and 7 beautiful grandchildren.

Meet the Fargo office

Our History

Our process

Meet the Fargo Team

Areas We Serve

TV & Podcast Appearances