By Frank Konkel
Livingston County Daily Press & Argus
HOWELL, Mich. (AP) -- The way Brighton Township's Jim Ludwig tells it, he's had two lives.
His first, as a successful landscape architect, ended two years ago when his wife, Carol, was diagnosed with a terminal disease.
Seeking a permanent solution for his wife's care, the 54-year-old stumbled into what he calls his "second life," helping senior citizens.
The result has been the local installation of a national franchise called Seniors Helping Seniors, where local seniors are hired and paid wages to provide in-home service to other seniors in their area.
Seniors Helping Seniors employees provide affordable companion care, housekeeping, medication reminders, grooming, lawn care and a variety of other services, though it does not provide nursing care. Ludwig heads Seniors Helping Seniors with his business partner, Lynn Albanelli, who was his wife's caregiver for a time.
Albanelli said perhaps the most important thing Seniors Helping Seniors does is help keep senior citizens in their homes.
"It's typically for folks who don't have all the abilities they used to have, we want to help these seniors and keep them in their homes," Albanelli said.
New to the Livingston County area, Albanelli said the business is actively seeking senior employees as well as clients. Senior citizens in Livingston, Washtenaw and parts of Oakland counties are eligible. Ludwig said it's important, though not mandatory, for those providing care to be senior citizens because "they are more in-tune with the people they're providing services to."
"The loving, caring, compassionate component of this business is integral," Ludwig said.
Charlotte VanTill, a Seniors Helping Seniors employee, said she applied for her position because she wanted to "give back" to other senior citizens. As a retiree, however, VanTill said she benefits because she's staying in contact with people. VanTill said she receives a wage of about $9 per hour, which she believes is a "small amount of money" compared to the cost of placing seniors in assisted-living homes.
"Because I'm a senior and I'm retired, it's important for me to stay in contact with people, it's important for me to give them a hint of my life and time and to give back," she said.
"And my thought is that these seniors deserve that. They've given services and time in the form of being productive family members, husbands, wives, mothers, some of them even served in various wars. Without them, we'd be in bad shape," she added.
Ludwig, who used to own his own landscaping company, said his second life probably won't last as long as his first. Yet taking the reigns of Seniors Helping Seniors in the Livingston County area might just help make it more rewarding.
"It's a tremendous organization, and we hope to provide care to as many seniors as we can," Ludwig said.
Published: Wed, Nov 17, 2010
