OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio — A quick check of weekly police blotters reveals that seniors in need of home improvement projects are often targeted by shady contractors.
Such scenarios could be eliminated if seniors just had a handyman to take care of basic home repair needs.
That’s exactly what skilled nurse Sandra Kirkwood, who for the better part of a decade has owned a North Olmsted-based senior home care business, had been thinking, but didn’t have the resources to help out her elderly clients.
“I’ve been a nurse for 28 years with a mission, a passion, a goal to help as many people as I can to stay at home for care,” Kirkwood said.
“I used to work as a director of nursing, where I did a lot of admissions. Truly, many people just need a little bit of help and they could have stayed at home. Everyone wants to be at home.”
So last year, the Sheffield Lake resident opened a TruBlue franchise that serves Olmsted Falls and Avon.
The handyman home service business focuses on senior living and busy families in the western portions of Cuyahoga County and the eastern side of Lorain County.
“This franchise aligns exactly with what I want to do in life,” Kirkwood said. “In home care, what was happening was we had a lot of people who needed something done around the house and there was no one to call.
“Or we’d finally get hold of someone and they’d hang up, saying it was too small of a job. In the rare cases when (seniors) did get help, unfortunately sometimes they were taken advantage of.”
Since last spring, TruBlue of Olmsted Falls/Avon has been hiring quality workers, with a current staff of six employees.
No project is too small for Kirkwood and her team. That includes everything from drywall painting to installing microwaves, electrical fixtures, fans and lights.
“Homes in this area have very high ceilings, so we help seniors change those lightbulbs or smoke detector batteries,” Kirkwood said. “We also offer a quarterly or monthly maintenance program.
“So far, it’s been well received, but it’s also something that people aren’t familiar with. We want to be trusted. I do care what goes on with them. That’s what led me to do this business. We want them to have someone to turn to, because we’re also advocates.”
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