Meet The Team | Senior Helpers of Minneapolis - St. Paul Past main navigation Contact Us

Meet The Minneapolis-St. Paul Team

Care Experts Helping Seniors Live Safely and Independently at Home

More than 90% of seniors want to be able to age in their own home with dignity but getting the right type of care can seem daunting.  At Senior Helpers of Minneapolis - St. Paul, we believe that getting the best care for your loved ones should not be complicated.  We recognize the growing need for in-home care services, and with our passion for helping others, we are committed to delivering the best possible care to seniors in the Minneapolis & St. Paul communities. 

We take the opportunity to provide care in your home seriously and make it a priority to provide the highest level of client service possible.  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. You can feel confident that your loved one is in good hands with Senior Helpers.

Meet the Minneapolis - St. Paul Office

Paul & Laurie Barthol

Paul & Laurie Barthol

Owners

Paul and Laurie have a strong passion for making a difference in the lives of seniors. Through their experience of caring for parents, along with their 15+ years working with in-home caregivers for their son with Down syndrome, they know the importance of finding the right type of care. It is from this personal journey that led them to a career with Senior Helpers. Paul and Laurie are actively involved in their church, enjoy traveling, sports, and spending time with family.

Megan

Megan

Operations Manager

Megan oversees daily operations, caregiver recruitment and support, scheduling, training programs, and client satisfaction. She is dedicated to building strong teams and ensuring families receive compassionate, dependable in-home care. Through her leadership, she helps deliver personalized care that promotes dignity, independence, and quality of life for seniors and their families. Outside of work, Megan enjoys traveling, drawing, and discovering new restaurants.

Klea

Klea

Hiring Manager

Klea brings a versatile and passionate approach to her work, with experience in customer service, sales, recruitment, and Human Resources, giving her a strong understanding of people and business operations. As Hiring Manager, she leads recruitment efforts to find the best talent for our team. Klea loves spending time outdoors, climbing mountains, exploring rivers, or relaxing by the water, and enjoys life with her golden retriever, Bailey.

Bethlehem

Bethlehem

Office Administrator

Bethlehem serves as Office Administrator, bringing experience in organizational support and working with seniors. She is known for being dependable, thoughtful, and committed to continuous learning and making a positive difference in the lives of others. When she’s not working Bethlehem enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and embracing opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Andi

Andi

Lead Scheduling Coordinator

Andi brings experience in customer service, sales, and technical support to her role as Scheduling Coordinator. She helps ensure smooth communication and coordination for clients and caregivers, bringing reliability, attention to detail, and warmth to the team. Outside of work, Andi enjoys music, recording song covers, and spending time with her poodle, Calum.

Princess

Princess

Scheduling Coordinator

Princess holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and brings experience in customer service, technical support, sales, and team leadership. As a Scheduler at Senior Helpers, she coordinates caregiver schedules and supports hiring, helping ensure our clients and caregivers receive the support they need. When she’s not working, Princess enjoys cooking, gardening, and spending time with her parents.

Jhessa

Jhessa

Scheduling Coordinator

Jes brings valuable caregiving experience and a passion for home care to her role as Scheduling Coordinator. She helps coordinate caregiver schedules, support client needs, and ensure smooth communication between caregivers, families, and the team. Jes is committed to helping clients receive compassionate, dependable care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and caring for her many pets, including a dog, cat, snake, bunny, lovebirds, roosters, and pigeons.

Kelly

Kelly

Care Coordinator

Kelly became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in 2021 in an assisted living setting, building a strong foundation in compassionate, hands-on care. She graduated from Winona State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, and a focus in Healthcare Administration. As Care Coordinator she works closely with clients and caregivers to support quality care, strengthen connections, and enhance the overall care experience. Kelly loves to travel, spend time with loved ones, and try new hobbies.

Carmen

Carmen

Registered Nurse Supervisor

Carmen, BSN, RN, brings extensive clinical knowledge and proven leadership to her role as RN Supervisor. With 17 years as a Registered Nurse, including over 14 in leadership, she focuses on providing seniors with care that promotes dignity, independence, and quality of life. Carmen is passionate about building supportive care teams and making a meaningful difference for seniors and their families. She enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and traveling.

Sue

Sue

Registered Nurse

Sue brings over three decades of compassionate nursing experience to the Senior Helpers team. She began as a Nurse Aide in a nursing home while pursuing her Associate of Science in Nursing at Normandale Community College. After earning her degree, Sue spent 33 years as a Registered Nurse at Methodist Hospital. Now retired from hospital work, she joined Senior Helpers to use her expertise in making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Sue enjoys traveling with her husband, peaceful walks, and spending time with friends.

Sandra

Sandra

Registered Nurse

Sandra is a registered nurse with 30+ years of experience. She began her career as a licensed practical nurse before earning her RN license. She has a deep passion for helping seniors maintain their independence and comfort. Her experience includes health coaching and teaching caregivers how to provide exemplary care, enhancing seniors’ quality of life. In her free time, Sandra enjoys spending time with her husband and two adult children, swimming, traveling, and reading.

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 that 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 accessible in-home care. This was the mission-driven spark that started Senior Helpers. 

The first office opened in Baltimore, Maryland, 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.  For more than 20 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 Minneapolis - St. Paul was proud to join the system in 2021.  Like every other owner, we too are fully-committed to the original goal of providing dependable and accessible 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 are lucky to serve hundreds of seniors in our community, and we are committed to continuing to provide uncompromising levels of care to all our families.

At Senior Helpers of Minneapolis - St. Paul, our goal is to help provide high quality care for our clients and their families. We do this by delivering customized, dependable and cost-effective care. There is no greater responsibility than entrusting someone with the care of a loved one - and we want to earn your confidence to become your trusted partner.

We never send a stranger. Based upon our experience of working with caregivers, one of the most difficult aspects of being the client was having the caregiver show up at our door without being properly introduced or prepared. Or in the case of having a substitute, not getting any advance notification of a change — then dealing with substitutes who were poorly prepared to provide appropriate care for our son's needs. With Senior Helpers, this will not happen. A proper introduction will be made.

Caregivers are supervised employees, not independent contractors. We are not a referral service or “nurse registry,” where workers are assigned to cases, leaving families to sort through the fine points themselves — whether taxes get paid, whether background checks have been performed, whether they’re bonded and insured. We do all these things in advance, along with testing skills, verifying credentials, speaking with families they’ve worked with before.

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
Our Caregiver Training

Our Caregiver Training

At Senior Helpers of Minneapolis–St. Paul, we believe exceptional care starts with exceptional training. Our caregivers undergo a series of on-line training modules, in-person classes and hands-on instruction in our Center of Excellence, a realistic, home-like training environment we call Aunt Milly’s Place. Under the guidance of our nursing team, caregivers practice essential skills, dementia care techniques, Parkinson’s care, and safety protocols to build confidence before ever entering a client’s home.

We also utilize a nationally recognized Virtual Dementia Tour®, an immersive experience that helps caregivers better understand the physical and cognitive challenges of living with dementia. This deeper understanding fosters greater empathy, stronger communication, and more personalized care, helping us deliver the trusted, high-quality support families expect from Senior Helpers.

I want to take this opportunity to express our thanks for the superb work Diane did for Dad while he was in the hospital. She was punctual, personable, and dedicated. She helped my Dad immensely during a difficult time for him. Her calm manner and brilliant smile worked magic. My Dad’s attitude changed completely for the better after her first visit. Thank you so much for giving us Diane. She really is a remarkable person and very caring.
 

Areas We Serve

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