Senior Helpers Employee Of The Year Is Like Family To Local Client

By John Voket

When most 15-year-old girls in her peer group were undoubtedly thinking about clothes, hair styles, boyfriends, and maybe schoolwork, Lisa Rojas was focused on caring for her beloved 99-year-old grandfather. That tradition of respectfully caring for others has come full circle for Ms Rojas in adulthood.

The Newtown resident was recently named one of two Employees of the Year for the Western Connecticut division of Senior Helpers. And according to owner, Costas “Gus” Thanasoulis, Ms Rojas and her sometimes seven-day-a-week charge Jeanette Jurman represent the longest-matched client/caregiver team in the region, having been together since the Sandy Hook service opened two years ago.

“I’m stuck with her,” Ms Jurman said laughing one recent morning as the pair transitioned from breakfast to midmorning activities. For Ms Rojas, that involved clearing and washing dishes, checking on laundry to be done, a possible change of bedding and being available to chat or just sit beside her client watching a game show on a small flat screen TV at the kitchen table.

“I’m here Monday through Friday, and most weekends at 7 am to help Jeanette get out of bed and get ready for her day,” Ms Rojas said. The caregiver, who was instilled with a gift for personal care in her teen years, returned to the field five years ago and came to Senior Helpers in 2009, where her very first client assignment was with Ms Jurman.

“At the beginning I was taking care of several people, but eventually Jeanette became my one and only,” Ms Rojas said.

At about the same time Ms Rojas joined Senior Helpers, Ms Jurman was just completing a round of rehabilitation at Masonicare of Newtown. At that point, the Jurman family was advised that Jeanette would need some extra help so she could transition back to her home.

A Special Relationship

Ms Jurman, who is cared for by her son after work and during the weekends, said she had a number of helpers since a stroke and a litany of surgeries and rehabilitation from a back injury and several joint replacements took their toll. But her first meeting with Ms Rojas sparked a very special relationship.

“When I met Lisa we had a lot of laughs,” Ms Jurman said, adding that today she and her son consider their Senior Helpers caregiver “one of the family.”

Besides helping Ms Jurman prepare for her day, Ms Rojas plans and prepares balanced and nutritious meals, takes care of general housekeeping, helps her client with personal care, hygiene, and chores like bookkeeping, bill paying, and navigating any medical or benefit paperwork she may have to complete.

The two also enjoy shopping together and taking leisurely day trips when the weather does not confine the pair to Ms Jurman’s Monroe home.

“Right now were thinking about taking a little trip to the casino,” Ms Rojas said.

Mr Thanasoulis said he works closely with every one of his caregivers and families to be sure clients have the freedom to do what they can, given individual medical constraints and limitations tied to their mobility.

“Our helpers help enable the clients, and they serve as social companions as well,” he said, adding that his company also employs nurses who are responsible for quarterly evaluations and assisting families with medication distribution since the helpers are not allowed to handle or dispense meds.

New ‘Best Friend’

Until recently, Ms Jurman said she also enjoyed visiting and chatting with a longtime friend who lived nearby. But after her friend’s unfortunate passing, Ms Rojas has helped tremendously filling the void.

“She’s my best friend now,” Ms Jurman said.

When the Jurman family heard that their caregiver was being honored as the Senior Helpers employee of the year, David Jurman was prompted to write to Mr Thanasoulis.

“Lisa has made a lasting friendship with my mother. She makes sure my mother takes her medications on time and eats properly...,” David Jurman wrote. She “deserves the highest recognition.”

Founded in Baltimore in 2001, the Senior Helpers network has rapidly built a reputation for providing dependable, consistent, and affordable elderly care services, where clients get as much or as little help as they need to enjoy living independently at home.

Helpers like Ms Rojas and her fellow employee of the year, Wendy Jackson, assist clients with everything from companionship to bathing, to Alzheimer’s and dementia care. The agency employs a proven process that includes an in-home assessment to help determine the type and level of care needed.

And services are available anytime — during the day, night, weekends, and holidays, or for short or long term duration.

In nominating Ms Jackson for Senior Helpers employee of the year, Rose Ann Reggiano of Sandy Hook wrote, “Wendy is not only a companion for my mom, but a friend.”

“She is a true angel,” Ms Reggiano said of her caregiver, adding that Ms Jackson goes “above and beyond. From Wendy’s first day on the job, my mom was a different person.”

Today, the company is poised to expand services throughout northern Fairfield and Litchfield Counties, and are seeking individuals who may be interested in joining the caregiver team.

Learn more about the agency at seniorhelpers.com or contact Mr Thanasoulis directly at 203-304-1634. The local office of Senior Helpers is at 75 Glen Road, Suite G5, in Sandy Hook.