Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Greater Richmond
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Serving Richmond and surrounding areas.
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Serving Richmond and surrounding areas.
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Meet the Greater Richmond 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 Greater Richmond we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. Wayne and Barbara opened the Senior Helpers Greater Richmond office in 2017 because of their passion for helping others and their interest in the growing need for in-home care services. Barbara and Wayne are committed to delivering the best possible in-home care to seniors in the Greater Richmond community.

We take in-home care seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible.  Over the past year we have built an exceptional team of care professionals, each committed to remaining at the forefront of the in-home care industry through our proprietary ongoing training and education programs.


Our initial interview with the owner, Barbara, was thorough and professional. She out lined all aspects of the care my mother would receive, reviewed the duties of the caregiver and answered our questions regarding finances and healthcare. It’s never easy discussing your aging parent’s needs, but Barbara was empathetic, tactful and sincere. She reassured us that our mom would get a reliable, caring and well trained health aid. She was right. Rebecca, our Senior Helper, was sweet and kind. She managed to assist and comfort my feisty mama! From keeping the house tidy, to providing meals, to personal care, to going with us to the doctor, Rebecca was a godsend. Barbara was with us every step of the way. She kept in close communication with our family! Truly, Senior Helpers are angels without wings!

Our History

Our History

Senior Helpers was founded in 2002 by Tony Bonacuse with the help of Peter Ross after their firsthand experience in caring for their respective family members. Tony and Peter identified a need that was not being filled properly by the other companies.  They realized most seniors would prefer to age in their own home rather than move into an unfamiliar institution. Unfortunately, the options available to most seniors were very limited. Most seniors did not have access to well-trained, dependable and affordable in-home care. This was the mission-driven spark that started Senior Helpers.

The first office opened in Baltimore, and quickly developed a reputation for delivering excellent in-home senior care with their well-trained staff of professional caregivers. Based on the success of the Baltimore location, the company began to expand.  Over the past 13 years, the Senior Helpers family has grown to include a network of more than 300 locally owned and operated franchises across the United States.

Senior Helpers of Greater Richmond was proud to join the system in 2017.  Like every other owner, we too are fully-committed to the original goal of providing dependable and affordable in-home care with well-trained caregivers. Nothing is more important to us than being the best available resource for seniors and families in our community.  

Barbara and Wayne were drawn to Senior Helpers because of a family member’s bout with Alzheimer’s.

Our team has grown to one additional team member, Belinda Hensley, and more than 30 caregivers. We have been lucky to serve hundreds of seniors in our community over the years, and we are committed to continuing to provide uncompromising levels of care to all our families.

 

Our process

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

We have received home care services for our own family, as well as have placed one of our parents in a facility, experiencing the tough decision a family needs to make at that point. Believing that aging in the comfort and security of one’s own home is the best option, led us to open Senior Helpers.

We attempt every day to provide service with a servant’s heart and see this as an extension of who we are as owners, not merely a transaction.

Meet the Greater Richmond Team

Barbara Wilkins

Barbara Wilkins

Owner

Barbara heard the call to “Go West, Young Woman!” and moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Bloomsburg University with a degree in business. As an account manager for the McDonald’s account for Davis, Ball & Colombatto Advertising, Inc., she quickly learned that attentiveness to customer needs was the key to delivering excellent service. Since then, she invested 20 years raising three wonderful daughters before working in admissions for a skilled nursing facility.

Barbara and Wayne met in Manhattan Beach, California and reside in Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Wayne Wilkins

Wayne Wilkins

Owner

Wayne graduated from the US Air Force Academy, launching his career in the US Air Force’s Space Shuttle program as an acquisition officer and ground operations team member for Space Shuttle Mission STS-39 (Missile Defense Program). He then graduated from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, working for Sprint, Capital One and Havas Worldwide before co-founding a marketing services agency. There he served diverse clients such as AMF Bowling, Ralph Lauren, Compassion International, FootJoy, PODs and Old Dominion Freight Line. Before opening Senior Helpers – Greater Richmond, Wayne worked in health systems marketing for McKesson Medical Surgical where he saw first-hand the massively growing need for quality and affordable elder care.


My husband’s grandma is 100 and lives in Virginia. We live in California so it is very worrisome to be so far away and try to care for her. We are so grateful to have Barbara and her caregivers to care for our grandmother and be a companion to her. I know she loves her companion and appreciates her visits. It takes a lot of stress off of us to know that they will update us on our grandmas health and well being. Thank you Senior Helpers for all you do!

Areas We Serve

Senior Helpers Greater Richmond provides a full range of senior home care services for you or your loved one—from companionship and housework help, to more complex care services, including disease management, Live-In and 24-hour care services.

Senior Helpers Greater Richmond serves the cities and towns of:

  • Richmond
  • Henrico
  • Mechanicsville
  • Quinton
  • Providence Forge
  • West End
  • Carytown
  • The Fan
  • Museum District
  • University Of Richmond
  • Sandston
  • N. Chesterfield
  • Bon Air
  • Lakeside