Grandpa Al wore many shoes: caring husband, father of 12 children, grandfather, farmer, school bus driver, banjo player and singer in the church choir. He could do and bear so much with seeming ease; he was characteristically dependable to a fault; and he was a true role model when it came to hard, honest work.
While Grandpa Al was an ordinary man in many regards, those who really knew him – like his grandson Steve – realized his
Superman qualities; however, by the early 1990s, loved ones began to notice that Grandpa Al was changing. Now in his mid-80s, Grandpa Al often became agitated and confused over routine tasks, like setting the thermostat in the house or even telling time. The onset of dementia was also posing challenges for Grandpa Al’s family, which was finding it increasingly difficult to ensure that he was safe and properly cared for in his long-time home near the family farm in Greenleaf, Wis. (nearby Green Bay).
Despite his resistance, Grandpa Al was relocated to a Green Bay-area assisted living facility. This transition was hard for Grandpa Al, but it was the best option the family had at the time. Grandpa Al spent his remaining days at the facility, and, a short time later, his grandson, Steve, stepped forward with an idea spearheaded by his experience with his grandpa.
Steve experienced firsthand the difficulties of transitioning and relocating from a home to a facility. Believing that better options had to exist, he wanted to help other seniors stay "home instead." So, through the experience with his grandfather, Steve opened Wisconsin's first Home Instead Senior Care franchise in Green Bay in 1997. Twenty years later, Steve acquired the Sheboygan/Manitowoc franchise.
Steve's goal was to provide seniors — like Grandpa Al — and their families more options, as they cope with the challenges of aging at home.
A Passion for Serving Seniors & Their Families
