After 35 years of working in human resources, Diana Cabassi was looking for a change of pace in her professional life. After her mother began showing signs of dementia, she moved to Florida to help take care of her and subsequently bought a Seniors Helping Seniors franchise. She hasn’t looked back since.
“This is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. [That realization] is not just here and there; it happens every time [I work],” Cabassi told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. “I’m the daughter of Cuban immigrants born here in the U.S. and never had an opportunity to meet my grandparents. Whenever my mom, who I say is the original Senior Helping Seniors, was picking up a little old lady or little man to take care of whatever it is they needed, I always fell in love with them because they automatically became my grandparents. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the elderly.”
Today, Cabassi is celebrating 10 years as a franchise owner, and her 94-year-old mother has been a loyal sidekick. She serves her local community of Broward County, including Sunrise, Plantation, Weston, Southwest Ranches, Davie, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines, Miramar and surrounding areas, and employs 35 senior companions. Some of them have been with her since the start.
“I have two caregivers that have been with me since I started the business,” Cabassi said. “One of the things that I take great pride in is that I have a tremendous retention rate because the people who I employ are special.”
Having a mother with dementia, Cabassi knows personally how caregivers can play a significant role in family life. Her mother’s caregiver, Mirlenis, has been with the family for seven years. Still, finding the right fit was no easy task. This experience as a sandwich generation child has undoubtedly influenced how she runs Seniors Helping Seniors.
“When I came back to Florida I wanted to be here for my mom but I still had children. I’m still raising my kids and having to help with my mom so I didn’t have another choice but to find external help,” Cabassi said. “When we first started looking for help, we went from person to person. My brother was actually numbering the caregivers in his phone so caregiver number eight [Mirlenis] finally worked out and she is like a sister to me.”
As she reflects on 10 years in the business, Cabassi has no regrets about her circuitous path to Seniors Helping Seniors. Her journey shows how a fulfilling career can begin with a leap of faith.
“I did a great job in the work that I did for 35 years as a corporate employee, but that emotional component was always missing,” Cabassi said. “So you could do intellectual work and be satisfied that way, but ultimately, we’re here to care for each other and I truly believe that.”
Home Sweet Home is a feature appearing Mondays in McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse. The story focuses on a heartwarming, entertaining or interesting happening affecting the world of home care. If you have a topic that might be worthy of the spotlight in Home Sweet Home, please email Special Projects Coordinator Foster Stubbs at [email protected].
