Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Sacramento and Placer County
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Serving Sacramento and surrounding areas.
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Serving Sacramento and surrounding areas.
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Meet the Senior Helpers Sacramento-Placer 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 Sacramento-Placer we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated. Journey Bender opened the Senior Helpers Sacramento-Placer office because of her passion for helping others and her interest in the growing need for in-home care services. Journey Bender is committed to delivering high-quality, personalized, dependable and affordable senior care. Our team of highly qualified caregivers and staff all live in the greater Sacramento area, we are invested in this community.

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 Sacramento-Placer, like every other Senior Helpers office, is 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. 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

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Meet the Sacramento Team

Journey Bender

Journey Bender

Owner and CEO

In 2011, after many years of trying to navigate geriatric care with her grandparents, Journey brought her management and healthcare experience to Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer. Journey started as Community Relations Coordinator and most recently worked as Director of Operations. In 2019, Journey and her husband, Robert, decided that their shared passion for providing the aging population with excellent, reliable care and their belief that the Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer care team provides the gold standard of care they were thrilled to have the opportunity to become owners.

Now, Journey has the opportunity to serve as CEO and represents our company brand to the healthcare industry by planning and hosting community outreach projects and educational seminars. Journey has a passion for guiding our families with respect to the best care plan for each individual and offers other applicable resources and long-term care planning as needed. She also keeps our physician providers aware of mutual patient health concerns and changes to the level of care as they arise. Through a number valuable of partnerships, including the Veterans Administration, Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center, numerous area hospitals (Kaiser, Sutter, Mercy General), and dozens of independent living facilities, rehab facilities, and more, Senior Helpers is becoming the go-to source for quality, timely senior care.

Robert Wukmir

Robert Wukmir

Owner and Director of Operations

Robert’s passion for geriatric care started with his grandparents, he learned firsthand as he and his family searched for solutions to meet their care needs that developing a comprehensive care plan and having a trusted advisor on your team is key. Robert knew between his own personal experience, passion and having the opportunity to watch Journey and Senior Helpers be that trusted advisor for families that he needed to be a part of the Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer family and became co-owner alongside his wife Journey Bender.

Now, Robert is Director of Operations for Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer. Utilizing his degree in economics from Sacramento State University and his experience with process and procedure improvement, training and team development he takes responsibility for the overall management and daily operation of the office, including the wonderful internal staff and outstanding caregivers.

Dasan Wukmir

Dasan Wukmir

Chief Cuteness Officer

In March of 2019 the Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer family got a little bigger! When Dasan’s mom, Journey Bender, and dad, Robert Wukmir decided to join the Senior Helpers ownership team Dasan knew what needed to be done, he was there to provide a constant reminder of the family culture that Senior Helpers Sacramento – Placer provides its staff and clientele. Dasan knows that every moment with your loved ones is precious and having a trusted team of care providers to assist those loved ones makes every second you get to spend with them quality time. 

Alexis Griffin

Alexis Griffin

Client Services Director

Alexis has been in the geriatric field for over 10 years. She began her educational journey at CSUS with a Criminal Justice degree as her goal and was working as an Activities Director at a skilled nursing facility at the same time. When the previously unvoiced struggles of a family member that was receiving hospice care came to her attention, she decided that a change needed to be made. After her family member’s passing, fueled by her personal and professional experiences, she officially changed her major to Gerontology.

She spent many hours volunteering in different settings in the field and interning with Mercy Hospice to give back to families who were going through the challenges that come with illnesses and aging. Since graduating college with a B.S. in Gerontology, she has been working for 6 years as a Client Care Manager. Her son, born in the middle of her college/work/life experience, has been her focus and motivation for continuing to succeed. She hopes to bring peace of mind to families by being a supportive resource and sharing her experiences to help others. 

Now, Alexis is Director of Client Services for Senior Helpers Sacramento-Placer. Senior Helpers focuses on providing excellent care to our clients and their families. Alexis’s goal each day is ensure that clients are provided the gold standard of care. Utilizing her previous experience and education she can adapt a clients plan of care as the clients’ care needs evolve. Some of the ways she does this are providing guidance on durable medical equipment (DME), possible adjustments to a client’s environment to improve safety, training for our staff on updates to a clients plan of care, and follow up with family members to keep them aware of a loved one’s condition.

Areas We Serve

Senior Helpers Sacramento-Placer 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 Sacramento-Placer serves the cities and towns of:

  • Sacramento
  • Roseville
  • Fair Oaks
  • Carmichael
  • Citrus Heights
  • Antelope
  • Rancho Cordova
  • McClellan
  • Elverta
  • Mather
  • North Highlands
  • Rio Linda
  • Loomis