Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Yorktown Heights
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Serving Croton-on-Hudson and the surrounding areas.
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Serving Croton-on-Hudson and the surrounding areas.
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Meet the Yorktown Heights 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 Yorktown Heights 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 Croton-on-Hudson 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.  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 Yorktown Heights was proud to join the system in 2024.  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

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 Yorktown Heights Team

Michael Gelman

Michael Gelman

Owner

Michael brings a wealth of experience from the healthcare and technology sectors to his role as the owner of Senior Helpers of Yorktown Heights. With over 20 years in leadership positions, Michael has been instrumental in shaping the future of healthcare services through technology across the country. His passion for making a difference in the lives of seniors drives his commitment to providing exceptional in-home care services to the local community.

For years, Michael has worked in healthcare and healthcare technology, and he is dedicated to leveraging his expertise to help seniors in Yorktown Heights navigate the complex senior healthcare landscape and access the care they need. He understands the challenges that families face and is determined to fill the gap by offering compassionate, personalized care.

Michael's career includes serving as the CEO of Tailored Consulting, where he advised healthcare and Health Information Technology (HIT) organizations, guiding them towards operational excellence and strategic growth. As President and COO of CareConnect, he led innovative efforts to use machine learning to streamline caregiver management processes, significantly improving home care delivery. His experience also includes driving operational growth and strategy at Prime Source GPO & The Caretech Group and leading corporate and business development at SigmaCare, where he achieved substantial revenue growth.

Michael holds an MBA from Fordham Graduate School of Business and a BS in Accounting and Economics from Lehigh University.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Michael is a family man, married to Dina, a retired Kindergarten Teacher. They have two children: Hayden, who recently graduated from the University of Delaware, and Jack, a junior at Binghamton University. Michael enjoys swimming, riding motorcycles, and following local NY sports. He values family, friends, his pets, and his motorcycles, reflecting his diverse interests and deep commitment to his loved ones.

Richard Sklar

Richard Sklar

Owner

After a distinguished 35-year career building digital solutions in Healthcare IT, Richard Sklar decided it was time to partner with Michael Gelman and start a business dedicated to making a meaningful impact on their local community. Having spent years commuting to NYC and traveling extensively, Richard is now eager to get involved locally and bring his expertise to the area. This decision was driven by personal experience as Richard and his family moved his parents to Yorktown Heights to better provide assistance and care. This firsthand understanding of the challenges families face has fueled his commitment to offering high-quality and dependable in-home care.

Richard is passionate about helping seniors stay safely and happily in their homes, providing an excellent workplace for caregivers to grow and thrive, and experiencing the rewards of running a small business. He is dedicated to learning as much as possible to deliver outstanding care and comfort to seniors and their families.

Richard is married to Amanda, a Speech-Language Pathologist who has been serving local schools for the past 19 years. They have been married for 21 years and have a daughter, Sophia, who will be starting her junior year at Vassar College in the fall, majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior.

In his free time, Richard enjoys hiking, riding his Peloton bike, solving puzzles, playing poker, and following sports, including the New York Islanders, English Premier League Football, and World Tour Cycling. He cherishes family time, with dinner and family Jeopardy being a daily ritual. Additionally, Richard is an active member of the NY/NJ Trail Conference and is responsible for monitoring three miles of trail in Bear Mountain State Park.


I want to take this opportunity to express our thanks for the superb work Diane did for Dad while he was in the hospital. She was punctual, personable, and dedicated. She helped my Dad immensely during a difficult time for him. Her calm manner and brilliant smile worked magic. My Dad’s attitude changed completely for the better after her first visit. Thank you so much for giving us Diane. She really is a remarkable person and very caring.
 

Areas We Serve

Senior Helpers of Yorktown Heights provides a full range of senior home care services for you or your loved one—from companionship and light housework help, to more complex care services, including disease management,  and 24-hour care services.

  • Brewster
  • Briarcliff Manor
  • Carmel
  • Cold Spring
  • Cross River
  • Croton on Hudson
  • Garrison
  • Granite Springs
  • Katonah
  • Mahopac
  • Millwood
  • Mohegan Lake
  • North Salem
  • Ossining
  • Peekskill
  • Cortland Manor
  • Pound Ridge
  • Putnam Valley
  • Somers
  • South Salem
  • Waccabuc
  • Yorktown Heights
  • Patterson