Franchise brands across industries are working hard to cope with the complexities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In-home care brand Seniors Helping Seniors® is making sure that both franchise owners and caregivers have all of the resources they need to ensure their own safety and the safety of the seniors they help. 

Seniors Helping Seniors® sets itself apart from the competition by hiring active seniors to provide support to their less-active counterparts, who are referred to as receivers. Seniors Helping Seniors® believes in The Power of Love® and carefully matches caregivers with their receivers in the hopes they will both form a genuine connection. This philosophy is deeply embedded within the brand: co-founder Kiran Yocom had worked alongside Mother Teresa for several years in her youth and wanted the in-home care franchise to have a mission of providing compassionate care. 

Today, the brand is taking many steps in order to ensure the safety of both active seniors and receivers. For one, the brand is kicking up contact and communication across the franchise system and recently held two online community forums during the week of March 23, as well as two additional community forums the week of March 30.  

“That’s really where the leadership team learned from our community and the challenges they are facing,” Director of Business Development and Training, Howard Algeo said. “Our franchise owners are on the front line of this situation, and they asked the best questions and provided amazing insights.”

The brand is also regularly emailing franchise owners and has an online library dedicated to COVID-related questions and issues that franchise owners can easily access. The leadership team is also making sure to answer any ad hoc questions that come up as quickly as possible. Algeo has personally reached out to individual franchise owners over the last few weeks to make sure they feel supported and are aware of the resources available to them. 

Throughout all of this, Seniors Helping Seniors® caregivers are still working. Most caregivers are active seniors, and they appreciate the chance to Do good and make money® while also providing an increasingly valuable service — company— in the age of social distancing.

“Our caregivers want to work,” Algeo said. “They are devoted to providing care during this tough time.”

Algeo noted that some caregivers have opted to take a break from work at this time, and the brand is 100% supportive of their decisions. Of course, if a caregiver is not feeling well, they are required to let the brand know. 

“We don’t want our caregivers to go to work if they’re not feeling well,” Algeo said. “For example, they need to let us know if they have a dry cough. We’ve had some people who reported not feeling well, so they’ve been taking breaks, usually for a couple of weeks, to see if any other symptoms develop.” 

Franchise owners are also adapting to the changes and challenges brought on by the coronavirus. One franchise owner in California purchased hand sanitizer in bulk and distributed it to his caregivers. Other franchise owners are using homemade hand sanitizer recipes to give to their caregivers. Across the system, franchise owners are following the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Two Seniors Helping Seniors® franchise owners who have been taking precautions are Matthew Obermueller, whose franchise is based out of San Diego, and Judy Loubier, whose franchise is based out of Bedford, New Hampshire. When the virus began to increase along the East and West Coasts, they each mandated that all caregivers who had traveled outside of the U.S. or to high-risk cities such as New York and San Francisco stay home for a 14-day period. Caregivers who had visitors from high-risk areas also have had to follow that 14-day protocol to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. Receivers experiencing any symptoms will be issued a COVID-19 test or assumed to be positive. In such cases, caregivers have been instructed to inform local health authorities. 

“Our franchise owners have just been so innovative and resilient and positive,” Algeo said. “My concern is just that they remember to take care of themselves and make sure they get enough rest. It’s important right now to make sure we all get a little bit of sunshine, enjoy time with family, turn off the TV and stay safe and healthy.” 

This strong focus on franchise owners, plus a community-proven business model that can weather major issues such as coronavirus, are just two reasons why Seniors Helping Seniors® is such a viable franchise opportunity. 

“Isolation and loneliness are real problems for seniors, and for us to be able to remedy that by providing in-person connections is just one of the most marvelous benefits,” Algeo said. “These are emotionally tough times for everyone, and it’s great to know that Seniors Helping Seniors® can help with that in some way.” 

To learn more about franchising with Seniors Helping Seniors®, visit https://franchise.seniorshelpingseniors.com/.