Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Portland West
Skip main navigation
Serving Portland and surrounding areas.
Type Size
Serving Portland and surrounding areas.
Past main navigation Contact Us

Meet the Portland West 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 Portland West we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. Kelli Bradley opened the Senior Helpers Portland West office in 2007 because of her passion for helping others and her interest in the growing need for in-home care services. Our new owners, Denise and Steve Graham are committed to delivering the best possible in-home care to seniors in the Portland West community.

We take the opportunity to provide in-home care seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible. Over the past fifteen years 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

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 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 affordable in-home care. This was the mission-driven spark that started Senior Helpers.

The first office opened in Baltimore 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 Portland West was proud to join the system in 2007. 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 the best available resource for seniors and families in our community.

Denise and Steve Graham were drawn to Senior Helpers because of their compassion to be involved in a business that is about helping others.

Our team has grown to five team members and 53 caregivers. We have been lucky to serve hundreds of seniors in our community over the years, 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, review 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 Portland West Team

Denise Graham

Denise Graham

Owner/Registered Nurse

Denise and her husband, Steve, acquired Senior Helpers of Portland in January of 2022. She was drawn to Senior Helpers because of their philosophy and mission. Since becoming a Registered Nurse in 1975, Denise has worked in many medical settings. After several years of working with the elderly, she found Senior Helpers to be a wonderful service to allow the elderly to stay in the home safely. In her free time, she enjoys golfing, nature walks, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Karistionna Carlile

Karistionna Carlile

Director of Education and Human Resources

Karistionna has lived in the PNW most of her life. She has been in the caregiving field for over 5 years, specializing in Dementia/Alzheimer’s and hospice. She has worked at 4 different Senior Helpers since 2016 including locations in San Jose, California and Salem, Oregon. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family being a new mom to a baby girl born in October of 2021 and her two pets. Her pets are Charlie who is an orange tabby cat and Blaze who is a bearded dragon. She also likes spending time in the outdoors and making home-cooked meals from scratch.

Elena Jensen

Elena Jensen

Director of Sales and Marketing

After moving to the PNW 17 years ago, Elena and her two children found their permanent home in Vancouver. She has over 20 years of customer service experience and has been in caregiving for four years. Prior to coming aboard at Senior Helpers in 2020, she was pursuing a nursing degree at Clark College and enjoyed volunteering at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Since joining Senior Helpers, Elena has married her love of 25 years and is loving being a newlywed. In her spare time, Elena and her family enjoy going on hikes, kayaking, and family singing offs.

Andrea Lopez

Andrea Lopez

Scheduling Coordinator

Andrea is a mom of four wonderful kids: three boys and a one little girl. She grew up in Eugene, Oregon but found herself in Portland where she met her husband 11 years ago. She is extremely family oriented and loves helping others; everyone around her becomes her family. Andrea really loves being involved with family and being present to enjoy the time she has with them. She has experience working in healthcare having been a caregiver, med aide, receptionist for an assisted living community, and scheduling coordinator for an assisted living community. She values everyone and respects their time. Andrea is glad to be a part of Senior Helpers and looks forward to assisting clients and caregivers with all scheduling matters.


“The best reasons to be here is... I learn so much from the elderly. I get to experience other people's problems with my eyes!! I get to be the (HELPER) because someone really needs that extra help when no one is there. Or just a person to talk to! It uplifts me for the day and makes me feel like I did a good deed in someone's life!!”

Areas We Serve

Senior Helpers Portland West 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 Portland West serves the cities and towns of:

  • Portland
  • Milwaukie
  • Clackamas
  • Oregon City
  • Sherwood
  • Wilsonville
  • West Linn
  • Gladstone
  • Lake Oswego
  • Beaverton
  • Hillsboro
  • Tualatin
  • Tigard