Seniors Helping Seniors Connects Suncoast Caregivers With Clients

SARASOTA, FL — When Ashley Schmidt’s father was diagnosed with dementia last spring, most of the responsibility for his care fell on her mother, though she and her husband, Leif Schmidt, helped when they could.

So, they saw firsthand the impact of shouldering caregiving responsibilities for a loved one.

“It was quite a rapid progression over the past year and my mom, she was the main caretaker for them,” Ashley told Patch. “She was very drained and tapped out.”

This inspired the couple to launch a new business, Seniors Helping Seniors, which opened in February. A national model, this concept pairs active seniors with less-active seniors and those in need of assistance for various tasks, including companionship. The Schmidts local branch focuses on Sarasota and Manatee counties.

“The important thing is seeing the impact on the family caregiver — the wife, the husband, the spouse, the child, the daughter, the son, the person that’s there every single day, 24/7,” Leif told Patch. “They just need a break, some assistance, and to take a step back and do something for themselves. Who’s there to take care of mom or dad if they don’t take care of themselves?”

As Seniors Helping Seniors grows in the Suncoast region, the Sarasota-based couple and their family are also clients of their own business.

“What we’ve seen it do for Ashley’s mom is like night and day,” Leif said.

Her father also enjoys getting to know and spending time with new people.

“It’s great. He looks forward to it and having somebody other than just my mom or I there,” Ashley said.

Seniors Helping Seniors also helps clients age in place longer if they’re providing the assistance they need for day-to-day tasks.

“Most of our clients are fairly independent, but in need of assistance,” Leif said. “Our goal is to keep them in their homes safe and independent for as long as possible. They get to stay somewhere they’re familiar with and safely.”

While the company’s caregivers don’t perform any medical or hands-on care, they offer a range of tasks from companionship and socialization to transportation, housekeeping, meal prep, and handyman services.

It’s “an affordable solution” for someone who doesn’t need 24/7 care, but “needs some help to get by,” Ashley said.

The program “is mutually beneficial” for both the client and the senior providing the caregiving, Leif added. “Though we hire all age groups, the bulk of our employees are active retirees, active seniors. … They can work as much as they need and want."