Home Helpers of the Lehigh Valley was opened in Hellertown in 2010. Our commitment to being the premier provider of non-medical caregiving services in the Lehigh Valley is founded on three fundamental philosophies:
- First and foremost is our belief that outstanding service comes from attracting and retaining the regions finest caregivers, and treating them with the respect that they deserve for the outstanding service they provide.
- Secondly, our caregivers and our families have the support of a dedicated and highly competent support staff that has been strategically assembled with specific skills and responsibilities. This level of office and field support is unmatched in the region.
- Finally, active ownership involvement in all aspects of the business is a fundamental guiding principle. Though our growth has been substantial, we continue to ensure that every employee that works for us and every family we serve meets and maintains a relationship with at least one of our owners. With three partners in the business, we have the unique position to be large and resourceful, while maintaining that personal touch families and employees appreciate.
Meet the Owners:
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From Left to Right: Frank Esterle, Greg Scheck and Tom Krupp.
Frank Esterle, CSA – Partner
Frank is a 1985 Graduate of Central Bucks West, and earned a BS in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University in 1989. Prior to Home Helpers, Frank was a management consultant, serving the financial services industry. In 2000, Frank took the position of Director of Finance for Aramark Healthcare Support Services. Frank is a Certified Senior Advisor from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors®.
Greg Scheck, CPA/CSA – Partner
Greg Scheck is a 1982 graduate of Central Bucks West, and earned a BS in Business Administration at Shippensburg University in 1986. Prior to Home Helpers, Greg worked as a CPA with a variety of Accounting firms. Greg also earned his certification as a Certified Senior Advisor from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors®.
Tom Krupp– Partner
Tom Krupp is a 1982 graduate of Pennsbury High School, and earned a BS in Engineering from Purdue University, and a Masters in Business Administration from LaSalle University. Prior to Home Helpers, Tom was an operations and engineering executive in the electronics medical device industries.
Field Support Staff:
Lauren Batalka, BA/CSA- Area Manager
Lauren is a 2002 graduate of Quakertown Community Senior High School, and earned her BA at Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA. Prior to Home Helpers, Lauren gained experience in senior health care while working in Skilled Nursing as an Admissions Director, Hospice, and Medical Home Care.
Lauren oversees home consultations in the Lehigh Valley area. In addition, she manages client and community relations. Through her extensive experience in health care, Lauren provides clients with resources within the community which allow them to remain comfortably and safely at home. Lauren earned her certification as a Certified Senior Advisor from the Society of Certified Senior Advisors®.
Sharon Milligan, RN/BSN - Director of Client Care
Sharon joined Home Helpers in 2003 as staff nurse. Sharon is a graduate of Bishop Kenrick High School, and earned her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Villanova University. Sharon has been an RN for 28 years, working in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient dialysis centers, and in long term care.
Sharon's role is a pivotal role, even though Home Helpers is a non-medical caregiving company. In general, Sharon's mission is to ensure that the care delivered to our clients meets the high standards we have set. To do this, Sharon is involved right from the beginning when working with a client, as she leads the intake process. From this process, Sharon helps identify caregivers who have the skill set required for the client, and drafts a detailed care plan used by our caregivers in the delivery of care. Sharon then leads the process of supervisory visits to the client’s home and is a resource for both the family and our caregivers when there are questions or concerns. Finally, Sharon leads our caregiver training and competency review process, ensuring that our caregivers have the necessary skills for the job.
Debbie Hanson, RN - Client Care Manager
Debbie Hanson joined Home Helpers in 2011 as a Client Care Manager for the Bucks County and Lehigh Valley areas. She graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School in 1976 and attended Germantown Hospital School of Nursing and LaSalle University for her Registered nurse education. Debbie’s clinical background includes Medical Surgical nursing, a certification in cardiac rehab, and working in a cardiac catheterization lab. She has 21 years of Case Management experience in both skilled non skilled, home infusion and hospice and management settings. Her most loved nursing role is any setting in the client home.
Debbie supports Home Helpers in our mission to ensure the highest quality of care. She performs client intakes, drafts care plans, and performs regularly scheduled and as-needed supervisory visits.
Megan Chirstman- Senior Caregiver
Megan joined Home Helpers in 2011 as a Caregiver and was promoted to Senior Caregiver. She is a graduate of Parkland High School, and earned her Medical Assistant degree from Lincoln Technical Institute in 2009. After watching a close family member struggle with numerous medical problems, Megan decided that it was her calling to care for others.
As a Senior Caregiver, Megan plays a key role with our clients and our caregivers. Megan conducts home visits to ensure the delivery of quality care. She also acts as an On Call Caregiver in the event of emergency situations.
Office Support Staff:
Pam Barresi, CNA – Scheduler
Pam joined the Home Helpers team in 2008. Pam brings significant experience to our team. Pam earned a Certified Nurses Aide (CNA) certification in New Mexico, and has practiced as a CNA for 30 years. For the first 15 years of her career as a CNA, Pam was a direct care caregiver in long term care and home healthcare. She then moved into scheduling, and spent 15 years as a scheduler in home healthcare environment.
Pam's role with Home Helpers is to support the scheduling process. Pam brings extra clinical experience to this role that adds value to the scheduling process. As a CNA, Pam also is available to fill in as a caregiver in emergency situations.
Alice Beavers Dake - On-Call Answering Services/Scheduling Coordinator
Alice came to Home Helpers in April of 2009 after working in a similar capacity for Alliance Care (which then became LivHome). She is a 1987 graduate of Archbishop Ryan High School, located in Northeast Philadelphia and attended both Moore College of Art and Community College of Philadelphia. Her 15 years’ experience as retail manager, with a focus in customer service, serves her well in her position as On Call Scheduling Coordinator. Alice approaches her role as a liaison between clients, caregivers and the office team with dedication, professionalism and empathy.
Susan Beal- On-Call Answering Services/Scheduling Coordinator
Susan joined the Home Helpers team in 2011 as part of our On-Call Answering Services. Susan attended Cheltenham High School and graduated in 1988. She has a certification in Government Contracting from Villanova University and has taken business and accounting classes at MONTCO and Penn State.
At Home Helpers, our goal is to make life easier. We're available 24/7 and we believe that clients should be able to speak with a live person and not an outsourced answering service. Providing prompt and professional solutions to our clients, Susan fields phone calls after regular office hours, on weekends and holidays.
Patti Soisson, MSW – Human Resource Manager
Patti joined Home Helpers in 2009 as the Human Resource Manager. She is a 1989 graduate of Connellsville Area Senior High School in southwestern Pennsylvania. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from California University of Pennsylvania and her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Marywood University.
Patti leads the recruitment team in finding the best qualified caregivers to work with our clients. She facilitates our intense new hire training program and also promotes yearly in-services/trainings throughout the year for our staff. She utilizes her social work background to assist with client and caregiver specific questions/opportunities. Throughout the years, Patti has worked in acute care hospital settings, acute rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, assisted living, and hospice care.
Kathy Burke - Office Manager
Kathy joined Home Helpers in 2006. Prior to joining Home Helpers, Kathy worked for 25 years as an office manager for a Montgomery County Accounting firm. Kathy is a graduate of Archbishop Ryan, and earned her Business degree from the Community College of Philadelphia.
Kathy oversees all the administrative functions of the office. This includes billing, payroll and maintaining all personnel and customer files.