From Tragedy to Purpose: How Grant and Mary Broussard Are Turning Personal Loss Into Community Impact With Seniors Helping Seniors®

When Mary Broussard was just 19, her life was permanently changed by a single phone call — her father had been hit by a car while riding his bike, leaving him with a devastating brain and spinal cord injury. For the next three years, Mary became his caregiver, advocate and lifeline. It was a defining chapter that shaped her career in occupational therapy and her deep commitment to dignified care.

Now, alongside her husband Grant, Mary is turning that deeply personal experience into a mission-driven business with the launch of their Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise. With Grant’s background in engineering and a heartfelt connection to the caregiving his own mother provided to his grandmother, the couple brings both professional and lived experience to their new venture. For the Broussards, this isn’t just a business — it’s a way to give back, honor their families, and teach their three daughters the value of empathy, leadership and legacy.

Through Seniors Helping Seniors®, the Broussards aim to be a trusted resource for families navigating the emotional and logistical challenges of aging in place. They know firsthand the toll caregiving can take — and they’re here to ease that burden, one relationship at a time.

1851 spoke with the couple to learn more about their backgrounds, their journey to Seniors Helping Seniors® and their plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?

Mary Broussard: I’m the oldest of four kids and have had a strong sense of responsibility and care towards others since I was a child. My parents were both doctors who worked a lot, which put me in charge of tending to the basic needs of my younger siblings at a very young age. My responsibilities seemed to multiply overnight around the age of 10 when my parents divorced. That junior caregiver role I was born into never really bothered me — maybe because it was all I knew.

Life took a drastic turn during my freshman year at LSU when I got a call that my father had been in an accident while riding his bike home from work. It was a hit-and-run. We never found out who did it. He suffered a severe brain and spinal cord injury. As the only next of kin of legal age, I dropped out of college and moved to Connecticut where I did the best I could to fulfill the role of Executor of Person and Estate for my dad. Just like that, at barely 19 years old, I was forced to make major medical, legal and financial decisions regarding my dad’s care — all while sitting by his bedside, watching an arsenal of complex machines keep him alive.

As he slowly came out of a three-month-long coma, it became clear that he was paralyzed from the neck down, dependent on a ventilator to breathe and a feeding tube for nourishment. He also had retrograde amnesia and was given little chance for meaningful recovery.

Over the next few years, I spent most of my time in his hospital room. I did what I could to keep him comfortable — passive range of motion stretches, turning and repositioning to prevent pressure ulcers, shaving, washing his hair, sponge bathing, suctioning his trach tube and just praying for a miracle. He fought hard but ultimately passed away in October 2008, three and a half years after the accident. That experience was tragic and devastating, and it profoundly changed the trajectory of my life.

After he passed, I was determined to get my education and life back on track. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to help people. I graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a double minor in psychology and English. I was accepted into the occupational therapy program at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and earned my Master of Occupational Therapy degree.

After graduating and getting married, I started working as an occupational therapist at a post-acute traumatic brain injury facility. My primary role was overseeing the care and rehab of about 30 adults, mostly men, with severe head trauma. I loved everything about providing care and compassion to such a diverse group of people. I was encouraged to use creativity in my treatment and program development. I gained a ton of experience in patient and family education, staff training, injury and fall prevention, and discharge planning — including in-home evaluations.

I became a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and eventually the clinical director before stepping away to focus on raising our two baby girls. That job taught me that I’m happiest when I can have a genuine, long-lasting impact on people who really need it. Helping someone rediscover who they are after a major setback — there’s nothing like it.

Grant Broussard: I’m the oldest of two kids,I grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. My parents are still together. My whole family lives within 10 miles of Lafayette — mom, dad, sister, her husband, their two girls, the extended family. A lot of my memories growing up are around baseball. I was a student of the game. I had big aspirations, but unfortunately, my talent never quite caught up. I was good at math, though, so going to college for engineering seemed like a good step. I went to college in Lafayette.

After college, I stayed in Lafayette until I was 32 with no plans to leave — until a job opportunity popped up in New Orleans. A couple of weeks after I moved, I met Mary. They say when you know, you know — and I knew. We quickly moved to the Northshore in Mandeville to settle down and start our family. We had our first two daughters there. We loved Mandeville, but life happened, and we ended up moving to Conroe, Texas, for my job.

We always talked about starting a business together — for years. But we didn’t know what, and life was comfortable. We had young kids. I had looked at franchise opportunities for a while, but nothing gave me that “gut feeling” — that “follow your heart” thing I was looking for — until now. Mary is an amazing occupational therapist and this opportunity allows her to do what she loves. We both have a deep desire to help others. There’s no other feeling like it. This gives us a chance to work together, create a real family business and show our daughters how to be a part of something that matters.

We recently had a third daughter, by the way — she just turned one.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Mary: We loved how franchises think of everything. They take you step by step. We felt so strongly about it. We see ways we can be more thorough and expand on what the program is now — and make it even better.

Grant: Specifically, this brand in particular — we truly believe in the mission, the mission to help seniors help each other. We thought that was a lot different. At the end of the day, it’s a proven model, and anytime you start something on your own, the odds of succeeding are a fraction of what they are with a franchise.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Mary: Seniors Helping Seniors® embodies so much of what I believe in personally and professionally. My personal and professional experiences have taught me that life happens — and it’s not always good or fair — and it hits you when you least expect it.

We all know growing old is part of life… it happens to everyone. But it doesn’t always happen in the way we imagine. When an aging parent becomes unable to care for themselves, it can be overwhelming. Adult children often don’t know what the right thing is — or what the options are.

Is mom safe by herself at home? Should we start looking into long-term care? How much will that cost? Will dad feel like we’re abandoning him? These are heavy questions, and they often lead to guilt. The caregiver burnout sets in a lot faster than anyone expects.

I believe so strongly in the purpose behind Seniors Helping Seniors® because in these situations, help is simply needed — and we can be that resource and that relief.

The brand’s entire philosophy is based on dignified aging in place. Seniors can often do many things well into their later years, but any number of things — a fall, a stroke, prolonged isolation — can start a decline. And when people become isolated or inactive, depression can set in. That leads to lack of motivation for self-care, which leads to cognitive and physical decline. It’s a cycle.

Seniors Helping Seniors® steps in to stop that decline. The idea of matching older adults with caregivers who are close in age, have similar personalities and share hobbies or life experiences — it’s just such a smart and meaningful way to prolong engagement, independence and quality of life. That relationship becomes a friendship, and that has real power.

Professionally, it gives me a new way to apply my OT training — not in a clinical setting, but in a more holistic and long-term way. I really see this as a way to reignite my passion for being an OT and what it’s all about.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?

Mary: Our goal is to provide support and resources to as many people as possible. We want to be known in the community as the senior caregiver service that goes the extra mile. There’s always room for growth and improvement, and I want to use creativity and inspiration to be proactive in addressing issues that negatively impact seniors’ quality of life and longevity.

1851: Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?

Mary: The senior population in this country is growing rapidly — and our community is no different. There’s a huge need for affordable caregiving services, especially from organizations that understand how important it is to keep seniors active, engaged and independent for as long as possible.

We wanted an opportunity to do good for others — and to carve out our own destiny. I’ve been searching for a way to apply my OT background in a meaningful way while stepping away from the traditional clinical model. I was burning out, honestly. Seniors Helping Seniors® gives me a chance to fall in love with my profession again.

Grant and I also want our three daughters to see what it means to build something that reflects our values. Our two older girls are getting to an age where they’re starting to notice the challenges in the world. It’s important to us that they grow up to be kind people who advocate for others. We plan to involve them in this business — we want to show them how you can make someone’s day better just by being thoughtful.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?

Mary: Do the homework. Follow the steps. They give you a lot of opportunities to explore the company and get a real idea of what it’s like.

Grant: You’re flying at 30,000 feet when you start doing due diligence. But as you come down and approach the business, the details get more complex. Seniors Helping Seniors® has the tools in place for you to succeed. It’s real — they have everything there. You just have to put in the effort.

ABOUT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS®:

Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise system was founded by husband-and-wife duo Kiran and Philip Yocom. Kiran, who grew up in India, later worked to advance humanitarian efforts alongside Mother Teresa. After moving to the U.S. in 1995 and marrying her husband Philip, the Yocoms felt called to provide loving care to seniors and to cultivate an exchange of gifts at every generational level. Together, the Yocoms founded Seniors Helping Seniors® in-home services in 1998, opening the brand up to franchising in 2006. With a mission to be the most respected and rewarding home care provider in the U.S., Seniors Helping Seniors® locations stand apart from competitors as the only company that prioritizes hiring active seniors to provide care services to their less-active counterparts. Seniors Helping Seniors® service aligns caregivers and care recipients based on the abilities and needs of both by offering a wide range of care services. Seniors Helping Seniors® network has grown to 400 territories nationwide and over 200 franchise partners in 37 states. For more information on Seniors Helping Seniors® in-home care, visit https://seniorshelpingseniors.com/.