A Message from our Founder:
As I reflect on our milestone of 25 years, I remember the moment I decided I wanted to dedicate my life to helping seniors. I was 5 years old and remember playing on the floor with my toys when I overheard my Mom talking on the phone with one of my aunts. Mom explained to her that she needed ‘un foyer’*. What!?! If she moved into ‘un foyer,’ I had no clue who would take care of me! I was overwhelmed with emotion. That was the first moment that language knocked the wind out of me and vowed to myself to take care of my mother when I grew up. [*Un foyer: a retirement residence; progressive lenses. ….She needed the latter!]
Initially, my goal in establishing Helping Seniors™ was to remain involved in working with seniors while having a flexible schedule that allowed me to focus on raising my children and being a Mom at home.
Having worked in senior living before starting this business, I had a good idea on how the industry worked and from the get go I wanted to do something different and better.
Ever since day one, I have dedicated my resources to creating a movement of change to help seniors feel seen and heard during this delicate time of life and be better supported throughout the process.
Doing better for our seniors has always been my priority.
I want to help seniors live as independently and autonomously as possible, no matter where they live. Who am I, or a doctor, to say that it is time to sell the house and move? Perhaps some people desire to explore aging at home and adapt, or to find a senior living setup that is better suited to their specific needs.
Slowly but surely, the approach and the wording evolved to Stay or Move?.
Stay or Move?™ is a new approach, and makes sense in my heart, but getting industry acceptance of this enhancement is taking considerable patience and perseverance. After 25 years of field research working with delightful clients, their families, and speaking at Industry conferences, I have refined the language used when speaking about and with seniors.
Throughout the process of adapting or relocating, I have witnessed seniors thrive when the language used around them is empowering. It helps to build their confidence! Too often, seniors are ‘bulldozed’ with the current language used (forced, placed or put, no options, etc). This negative wording affects every step of the journey and often makes it undesirable for everyone involved.
Empowering language brings a better light to the process.
Helping Seniors™ invites people to see their loved ones for who they are today and not for what they have lost so they can continue to thrive and radiate in their new living setups as they adapt to current needs and new realities.
As we celebrate 25 years of helping seniors, we are pleased to create an updated edition of 65+ Key Questions You Must Ask When Looking for a Senior Living Community to help you navigate through the myriad of options. This handy resource will be available in the coming months. You can download the current version here for free!
Thank you to every senior and family who has offered me trust at this delicate time in life and has allowed me to journey alongside them. It is a privilege to work with those who have contributed to building our society.
I’m looking forward to another 25 years of enhancing the senior living industry and doing better for our seniors.
Marie-Claude Giguère