Home Instead Senior Care Partners with Retailers, Community Organizations to make a Positive Difference in the Lives of Seniors in Need this Holiday Season

OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Instead Senior Care, the nation's largest provider of in-home companion care services, today announced the launch of Be a Santa to a Senior – a gift-giving and companionship initiative launched with local retailers and community organizations nationwide to ensure a brighter holiday season for seniors in need.

With the holidays just around the corner, many people are looking forward to spending time with their families and friends – and starting to think of just the right gifts for their loved ones. At a time of so much merriment, many people aren't aware of the estimated 3.5 million Americans 65 and older living in poverty*. For them, buying even the simplest necessities will be a struggle this December.

"The holidays can be an especially difficult time for older Americans," said Jeff Huber, president and chief executive officer, Home Instead Senior Care. "Often faced with high medical bills and cost of living expenses, many find they have few resources left by the end of the year. A high number also live alone, which can magnify their personal needs. But there are easy things we can do to make holidays more enjoyable and less lonely. This is why Home Instead is proud to launch Be a Santa to a Senior and make a positive difference in the lives of seniors in need."

Through Be a Santa to a Senior, running now through late December**, participating retailers will feature "Be a Santa to a Senior" trees in their stores. These trees carry ornaments with the names of seniors and their respective gift requests. Holiday shoppers can select ornaments from the trees, buy the items listed and return them to the store unwrapped with the ornament attached. Home Instead, its partners and volunteers then collect, wrap and deliver the gifts, providing much-desired companionship all the while.

For more information about the program, including a list of participating stores and to learn specific timing for this program, visit www.beasantatoasenior.com. 

ABOUT HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE
Founded in 1994 in Omaha by Lori and Paul Hogan, the Home Instead Senior Care® network is the world's largest provider of nonmedical in-home care services for seniors, with more than 950 independently owned and operated franchises providing in excess of 45 million hours of care throughout the United States, Canada, Japan, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Austria, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands. Local Home Instead Senior Care offices employ more than 65,000 CAREGivers(SM) worldwide who provide basic support services – assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), personal care, medication reminders, meal preparation, light housekeeping, errands, incidental transportation and shopping – which enable seniors to live safely and comfortably in their own homes for as long as possible. In addition, CAREGivers are trained in the network's groundbreaking Alzheimer's Disease or Other Dementias CARE: Changing Aging Through Research and Education(SM) Program to work with seniors who suffer from these conditions. This world class curriculum also is available free to family caregivers online or through local Home Instead Senior Care offices. At Home Instead Senior Care, it is relationship before task, while continuing to provide superior quality service that enhances the lives of seniors everywhere.

*According to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2010 that was released in May of 2012.  
**Specific timing for Be a Santa to a Senior varies by market and retailer 

SOURCE Home Instead Senior Care