Father's Battle with Dementia Motivates Man to Start a Business

Caring for an ailing parent can be overwhelming. How do you find in-home health care? Is it time to put your loved one in a nursing home? The answers don't come easy, especially with the added stress knowing it's the caregiver who tended to your aches and pains as a child who is now in need of your support.

Upper St. Clair resident and businessman Phil Tanner knows the situation all too well. When his father was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia, he and his mother didn't know which way to turn.

"I opened up a phone book and didn't know which way to go," Tanner said. "I thought, 'There has to be a better way to help others in this situation.'"

After his father died, Tanner said he looked in the mirror and realized he wanted to be in service. But the employee of the Fortune 500 company, husband and father of three, knew he had a mortgage to pay and a family to feed. 

His solution? Tanner started Always Best Care Senior Services in Upper St. Clair during the fourth quarter of 2010.

The company helps local families with in-home care services and finding senior housing.

Tanner said his certified in-home caregivers are caring, compassionate and reliable. 

"We feel it's important to have that personal touch," he said. "We're not washing cars, we're not building widgets, we're dealing with human beings."

In-home care can cost about $19-25 per hour. ABC Senior Services can also work with long-term care insurance providers.

The cost of receiving help to find the best senior home for your parent or loved one is free.

"It is an emotional decision and that's why it's not driven off of price," Tanner said.

Tanner has contracts with a number of local assisted living facilities and can help families figure out which home fits each person the best at no cost.

All in all, Tanner hopes his personal experience and his new business can make it easier for others to care for an ailing parent.

"I want people to be aware that there is help."