New South Shore Business Pairs Seniors with Seniors Who Wish to Age in Place

A Quincy legal secretary who had helped care for her elderly parents enabling them to remain in their home is switching careers to open a new business helping seniors in the South Shore region remain in their homes with the assistance of active seniors to give them companionship as well as a hand with tasks and errands

Mary Lally is the newest franchise owner of Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services; the franchise matches seniors who need assistance with everyday tasks with active seniors who want meaningful work. The franchise territory covers the South Shore region south of Boston, including Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, and Cohasset.

Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services, headquartered in Wyomissing, Pa., has opened more than 250 franchises in 42 states since 1998 by following a unique, peer-to-peer business model that provides seniors with “a way to give and receive®” by hiring seniors to provide non-medical services to other seniors.

“The demand for this service is rapidly growing as our population continues to age,” Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services co-founder Kiran Yocom said. “Mary truly understands the needs of this population, and she is the kind of caring and compassionate person we welcome in the Seniors Helping Seniors® organization.”

Lally said she had been considering a career change when she happened to read an article about Seniors Helping Seniors® franchises.

“I knew it was the business for me,” Lally said. “Many members of my Baby Boomer generation want to age in place, but we also want to feel safe and healthy and be treated with respect and dignity. Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services provides that to the seniors it serves while also educating its senior employees about the aging process.”

Lally said her late father also provided her with inspiration to start a business serving seniors. Her father always included a wheelchair-bound friend from his old neighborhood in South Boston on trips to Castle Island. This activity also gave respite to his friend’s family.

“My father would drive out of his way to pick up his friend to take him back to Castle Island and help him in and out of the wheelchair so they could enjoy a few hours hanging out at Sullivan’s and enjoying the fresh air,” Mary said. “When other seniors watched him doing this, they were hoping they would be lucky enough to have a friend like him if they ever needed it. I believe Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services can be the friend many seniors on the South Shore need.”

Lally plans to market her Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise as a pro-active approach to avoiding a health crisis. By hiring active seniors to assist with or complete errands and daily chores, seniors can avoid serious injuries and falls that could lead to deteriorated health and necessitate moving from the home they love.

Seniors Helping Seniors® franchises strive to set reasonable fees for clients while also providing competitive wages to employees within their geographic market. Non-medical services provided may include, but are not limited to, companion care, transportation, computer assistance, light housekeeping, light yard work, pet care, grocery shopping, medication reminders, general errands, meal preparations and social outings. If another type of service is needed, every attempt will be made to fulfill the request. For information about services or employment call 617-479-0702 or email Mary.SHS@outlook.com.

Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services: Kiran and Philip Yocom started Seniors Helping Seniors® home services in Berks County, Pa., initially as a nonprofit organization to provide a much-needed and appreciated service in their community. The Seniors Helping Seniors® organization was incorporated in 1998 as a way to spread the philosophy across the country through franchises. Prior to launching Seniors Helping Seniors® home care services, Kiran Yocom served with Mother Teresa in India for 14 years.