Care company organizes Christmas gifts for seniors

Christmas is not too far away, and one area business is asking the community to volunteer to help seniors this year through a program called Be a Santa to a Senior. This is the third year for the program that was started by Home Instead, a senior care company.

In order to coordinate the names of the seniors in need, get the gifts, have them wrapped and delivered, John Hopkins, owner and administrator of Home Instead Senior Care, said now is the time to plan.

"Last year we served about 100 seniors," Hopkins said. "The first year we were able to serve about 20 people. Many of those folks had three wishes on their list."

Though there were only 20 people on the list, he said the number of gifts was in the hundreds.

"There are many folks living in retirement homes and assisted living communities that don't have family and may not even get a Christmas gift," he said. "The goal of being a Santa to a senior is bringing joy to a senior. They get to unwrap a gift.

"We're asking for help from the community from the standpoint of sponsoring a senior and buying a gift. We will coordinate all of that at our office. We do a wrapping party and deliver the gift."

Hopkins came to senior care after spending years in the corporate world. A family tragedy opened his eyes, he said, and he made some life changes.

He was working 100-hour weeks, and traveling all the time as Vice President of training and development for Labor Ready. He was on a plane when he got the call about a serious accident involving his two nephews.

He landed and drove to be with loved ones.

"Over that 10-hour drive, I started to realize that my priorities weren't in order," he said. "I wasn't the husband I was called to be by the Lord. I wasn't the father I was called to be. I was a good provider, but I wasn't present. That was Oct. 27, 2004. For me, it was like somebody walked in and threw the light switch on.

"That accident really refocused me because that could have been my kids. We all know that tomorrow is never promised, but we also think that it's never gong to happen to us. It was very close to home and that was an awakening."

Shortly thereafter he left the company looking for God's plan for his life.

In October 2005, he felt called to help others, and became involved with Home Instead and soon became franchise owner, serving seniors on the Gig Harbor/Kitsap peninsulas.

Home Instead is a non-medical senior care business that Hopkins said enables seniors to stay in their homes. As with the Be a Santa to a Senior program, he said caregivers also help seniors in assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

Many of the caregivers are certified nursing aides, he said, and the training program at Home Instead gives extra training for Alzheimer's and dementia care.

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Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/