FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): BHI Retirement Communities has selected Fort Wayne for the home of its first care-at-home enterprise, Senior Helpers.

In choosing to open a Senior Helpers operation, BHI Retirement Communities is aligning with a national leader in professional in-home assistance services. Senior Helpers has pioneered advanced Alzheimer’s and dementia care for clients with its “Senior Gems” program.

“As experts in senior living, we are always looking for opportunities to further our mission of serving Hoosier seniors, and moving into the care-at-home niche gives us an opportunity to apply our expertise in new ways,” said BHI Retirement Communities President and CEO John Dattilo.

BHI opted to buy a franchise rather than start a care-at-home operation from scratch so it could hit the ground running. “We know there will be differences and nuances in caring for seniors at home versus providing care at our own communities, and we wanted to be able to tap into existing resources immediately,” said Dattilo.

Lucretia Jeffries has been hired to lead Senior Helpers as director of operations. The daughter of a minister and social worker, she grew up understanding the importance of caregiving and compassion. With a degree in elementary education from Anderson University, she worked for DeKalb Central United School District in Waterloo before becoming a professional caregiver and eventually the manager of a personal care agency.

“I was privileged to provide care for my father for several years as he traveled a difficult journey with cancer before passing away in 2012,” said Jeffries. “During this experience I felt a calling to provide service to other families.”

Senior Helpers’ office is at 820 Mill Lake Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46845. For more information, visithttp://www.seniorhelpers.com/fortwayne-in/ or call (260) 633-2005.