Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Knoxville - Oakridge

Meet the Knoxville Office

More than 90% of seniors want to age in their own home with dignity but getting the right type of care can seem daunting. At Senior Helpers of Greater Knoxville, we believe getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. We have an exceptional team of care professionals who have helped us build a premier agency that strives to deliver the highest level of client care possible in Knox, Anderson, Blount, Loudon, Roane, Campbell, McMinn, and Polk counties. We work hard to ensure our clients and caregivers are well taken care of so we can fulfill our commitment of always providing excellent service to our aging population for years to come.

The Senior Helpers Guarantee is what sets us apart from other Home Care Agencies

Our process and what we will cover at the complimentary assessment:

The first step in the process is a complimentary, initial in-home care assessment. The assessment helps you identify the true needs of your loved one and understand your options. We will discuss your family’s goals, your loved one’s specific daily plan and schedule, pricing and payment methods, implementation process, on-going communication and follow-up plan.

WE DISCUSS YOUR LOVED ONE’S NEEDS, REVIEW OUR SENIOR CARE SERVICES AND DETERMINE WHAT IS BEST FOR YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY – TOGETHER.

Never a stranger at your door:

In our experience, one of the most difficult aspects of being the client of a home care agency is having caregivers show up at your home without being properly introduced or prepared, or in the case of having a substitute, not getting advance notification of a change – then dealing with a poorly prepared fill-in that can’t provide appropriate care.

WITH SENIOR HELPERS, A PROPER INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW OF THE CARE PLAN WILL ALWAYS BE MADE BY ONE OF OUR OFFICE STAFF

Caregivers are supervised employees, not independent contractors

We are not a referral service where workers are assigned to cases, leaving families to sort through the fine points themselves such as, who is to pay taxes, unemployment insurance and workers compensation; perform background and reference checks, and insures the caregivers are bonded and insured. Senior Helpers also tests caregiving skills, verifies credentials and reviews driver license history for safety.

This means that Senior Helpers pays caregiver taxes, provides unemployment insurance and workers compensation; performs full background and reference checks and insures the caregivers are bonded and insured. Senior Helpers also tests caregiving skills, verifies credentials and reviews driver license history for safety.

USING SENIOR HELPERS MEANS PROFESSIONAL, SAFE AND RELIABLE HOME CARE SERVICES FOR YOUR LOVED ONE

Nurse on staff

Senior Helpers of Greater Knoxville employs Registered Nurse oversight training to ensure that all caregivers that join our team are fully equipped to provide the best quality care available.

SENIOR HELPERS NURSE PROVIDE OVERSIGHT AND SKILLED KNOWLEDGE THAT ENSURES THAT THE CARE WE HAVE COMMITTED TO IS BEING PROVIDED BY A FULLY TRAINED CAREGIVER

Affordable options

As you start to explore the full continuum of care options for your loved one, it becomes obvious that elder care can be costly. We have the experience, certification, knowledge, and local partners to assist you in:

Veterans Administration benefits

EEOICPA (White Card Holders)

Reverse Mortgages and Life Insurance conversions

Navigating your Long Term Care policies

SENIOR HELPERS HAS LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Our process

The first step in the process is a complimentary, initial in-home care assessment with a Senior Helpers consultant. This assessment can help you understand the true needs of your loved one, and your options. Together we can discuss their needs, our senior care services and determine what’s best for your entire family.

We will cover:

Your family's specific goals

Your loved one's daily plan design and schedule

Pricing and payment methods

Implementation process

Ongoing communication and follow-up plan

Meet the Knoxville-Oakridge-Maryville-TN Team

Laura & Tim Palenkas

Owners

Prior to working in the senior care industry, Laura was in marketing and merchandising for 21 years in Knoxville, TN. She also served on the boards of the Salvation Army and Children’s Hospital of East TN. Tim was self-employed as a general contractor building homes in Maryville, Alcoa, Kingston, and Knoxville, TN. They have two married daughters and have been blessed with two granddaughters. The experience they bring from their former careers along with their passion to help seniors get the support, dignity, and respect they deserve, led them to Senior Helpers. They have experienced first-hand the stress and burden a family experiences when having to care for elderly parents who are no longer completely independent, while facing the challenges of everyday life. Both of Tim’s parents required extra care and support toward the end of their lives. His mother passed of cancer, and his father of heart disease after having several strokes. Laura’s father struggled with diabetes, heart disease, and a series of medical challenges towards the end. Having someone who is trustworthy and compassionate supporting loved ones is critical and comforting. Laura and Tim have a strong passion for serving the community in the greater Knoxville area with a team that champions the elderly and has the ultimate goal of providing each and every client an environment that feels like they have family in their homes.

Heather Atkins

Office Manager

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Heather has many years of experience with business administration, particularly customer service. Her philosophy is that if you are going to do anything, do it well and always strive to go above and beyond. She has worked in Knoxville with local and corporate customers in a variety of business settings. Like her sister Lori, she knows firsthand the difficulties of watching her father pass from Muscular Dystrophy and seeing her mother struggle as the primary caregiver. A few years later her family cared for her grandmother suffering from Dementia and Parkinson's disease. She is very excited to now work with families and their caregivers to better their quality of life. Heather has lived in Knoxville her entire life and would not live anywhere else! Her most important job is being a mom to three busy daughters and supporting her husband in his military career. With three daughters, plenty of time is spent in West Knoxville at Turkey Creek as the area continues to grow and provide a multitude of shopping opportunities. Heather loves spending quality time with her family. Her family enjoys taking day trips to Cades Cove and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as biking and hiking at Ijams Nature Center. They enjoy the views that hiking House Mountain has to offer and the family can’t pass up a day boating on Norris Lake. One of Heather’s favorite places to frequent is Downtown Knoxville, and Market Square. The electric and lively feel draw both her and her family there quite often. She and her family have a very active lifestyle, but that doesn’t stop her from striving to help you maintain your own rigorous day to day schedules while providing your loved ones the quality care associated with Senior Helpers.

Lisa Wilbanks Hooper

Business Development Director

Although Lisa has lived all over, she is mostly a Knoxville girl, graduated from Bearden High in 1988. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in 1992 with a B.S. in Psychology, with a concentration in learning and motivation. She has worked in retail as a buyer, in Human Resources for outplacement services, and most recently in the senior industry as Marketing Director for the Senior Directory of East Tennessee. She has 2 beautiful children, Augusta 20 and John 18-and the best husband, Mike. Fun fact: My first job offer out of college was training dolphins at the Baltimore Aquarium!

Beth Ford

RN, MSN, Certified Case Manager

Beth moved from East Pointe, MI to Maryville, TN 28 years ago, and has never looked back. She earned her BS in Nursing from Roane State University and went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. She is a certified case manager, receiving her certification in 2016. She has worked in hospitals, home health, but for the most part specialized in Renal care. Beth joined the team because she loves working with seniors. She provides all new caregiver training, and any new client nursing assessments needed.

Beth has a husband of 13 years, and a son who is a senior at Bethel University in McKenzie, TN. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and the idea that with effort you can keep an extended family connected.

Erin Anthony

HR Coordinator & Scheduler

Erin is a transplant from Indiana to Knoxville TN, and has decided this is the place she wants to call home. Erin has a husband and 2 children; she and her family enjoy exploring their new hometown and surrounding areas. Their favorite places to visit are local antique shops, cades cove and exploring new places she has heard about through her clients and co-workers.

She has worked with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, as well as mentally challenged adults. Erin is a former caregiver and loved working with the seniors she was assigned to. Moving into the role of HR Coordinator and Scheduler was a way of working with a broader base of caregivers and clients and providing an avenue to help other caregivers hone their skills with clients.

Personal experiences with her beloved Grandmother made Erin realize how hard it was to obtain passionate caregivers for the elderly. Everyday tasks became difficult for her grandmother after being diagnosed with Kidney failure. Realizing others may not have the help her family received inspired Erin to become involved in the home care industry.

Kathy Evans

Client Services Coordinator

Kathy served as a caregiver for many years and has a special place in her heart for seniors. She is a wife and mother of 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. Kathy loves to travel, craft, and cook when she gets together with friends and family.

Her goal as Client Services Coordinator is to ensure that our clients are getting the highest quality of care from our caregivers, and all their needs are met.

Fun fact: Although Kathy has lived in Tennessee for several years, she came from Mount Airy, NC which is better known as “Mayberry” in the Andy Griffith show.

Meet the Knoxville Office

The Senior Helpers Guarantee is what sets us apart from other Home Care Agencies

Our process

Meet the Knoxville-Oakridge-Maryville-TN Team

Areas We Serve