Q&A: New approach to in-home senior care

When George Arab first came to the United States from Lebanon in search of work, he left behind a close-knit family. Not long after his arrival, he experienced the loss of several elderly relatives, including his mother. Those painful moments shaped his resolve to support other families by opening his own Seniors Helping Seniors branch. In March 2025, Arab launched his business, which is based in Rutland but recently secured a location in Worcester. What inspired you to open a Seniors Helping Seniors branch? I have been working in healthcare IT for 25 years, and constant travel was getting old. I wanted something more stable. More importantly, I wanted to do what I could not do for my own family. This is where it gets emotional for me. I looked at many franchises and opportunities before finding Seniors Helping Seniors. It hit home. It lets me work with clients, improving their lives, preserving dignity and respect, and helping them remain independent at home. I come from Lebanon, where my family was important to me. While in the United States, I could not return because of factors including war in the Middle East. My youngest aunt died soon after I arrived, my oldest aunt entered a senior home and passed away after one visit, and my mother also went into senior care. I thought I would have time before she passed, but I did not. Seniors Helping Seniors gives me the chance to do for others what I could not do for my own family. How does your approach to senior care differ? We work in-home just like other agencies. However, we are different in the fact we match helping seniors with seniors who need companionship. We do an assessment of the home and the client, and we identify a match based on personality and lifestyles. People at home want somebody around their age. Another unique differentiation is a system called the family room, which engages the family in day-to-day activity and what's happening with their loved ones. What services do you offer? Our primary service is companion care. We stay in close contact with the person we care for. We help with moving from one place to another, light meal planning, cooking, housekeeping, laundry, medication reminders, pet care, errands, dressing, just the basics that you would do around the house. When you're older, things become difficult. You need a watchful eye and helping hand. You still want to maintain your independence as a senior, but that companion is there for assistance if you need it. We help with memory care for folks with dementia and Alzheimer's. Overnight care is something we hope to do in the future. Right now, companionship is our regular service, and then personal care is second. Why do seniors choose to serve as caregivers? The economy is not that great. So, people want to work, whether for financial reasons or because they have a calling to help others. Some seniors are retired, and they just want to make a little money on the side as they go to senior homes and volunteer. They get to fulfill their calling. What are the biggest challenges seniors face when it comes to staying independent at home? Seniors who lived all their lives independently are the boss of the house, the boss of the family. When you go in and you try to convince them it's good to have a caregiver around the house, they feel helpless. We don't call our services helping, we call it assisting. I stress that point because we're not there to take away their liberty. We're there to help them maintain their independence, maintain their dignity, and maintain their self-respect. It’s difficult to try to convince somebody that a helping hand is not there to replace what you've had all your life: your independence. How will the program grow or evolve in Worcester? I want to help as many seniors as I can. I want to do for others what I couldn't do for my own family. I want to make an impact on people's lives. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Correspondent Sloane M. Perron.