At 82, Rita Moore knew not every company would hire a woman her age.

Even with her active lifestyle and energetic personality, Moore faced an uphill battle overcoming common age stereotypes while looking for work.

Research published in 2023 by the Society for Human Resource Management shows that nearly a third of U.S. workers say they’ve felt unfairly treated because of their age at some point in their career.

Luckily for Moore, Seniors Helping Seniors knows the value of having an experienced person working alongside older adults.

Seniors Helping Seniors, founded in 1998, hires seniors to provide in-home services to their less-active counterparts. Services can include respite care, companionship, daily living assistance, meal preparation, housework, specialized care and more.

The organization’s Northern Colorado location, owned by Sandra Acevedo, helps residents in Weld County, Larimer County and northern Longmont. And thanks to Moore and other like-minded senior workers who found their purpose at Seniors Helping Seniors, older adults who need a caretaker are in good hands.

Why employ older workers?

A typical day for Moore involves waking up early to tend to her 35-acre ranch north of Wellington, and then she heads off to work to provide caretaking services to two clients with polar-opposite needs. She also squeezes in time to create art, which is displayed in local galleries.

“She has more energy than everybody here in the office,” Acevedo said about Moore.

Moore, who has been with Seniors Helping Seniors for two years, helps out a widowed 92 year-old Merl Hanson by providing transportation to the grocery store and appointments, light housework, cooking and other basic needs.

On the other side of the coin, Moore offers respite care to Lathrop Smith and his wife, Vicky. Lathrop is a full-time caretaker for Vicky, who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.

Moore’s arrival lets Lathrop slip away to run errands or catch a break while she helps Vicky shower and get dressed, prepares her meals, gives her games to play and other services.

Moore helps the two seniors four days per week for a total of 22 hours

“I think that’s what keeps me alive and younger … being busy,” she said. “I can’t just sit.”

Moore’s passion and energy are just two of many valuable traits that seniors bring to the workforce. Other strengths seniors show include reliability, professionalism, punctuality and working hard, Acevedo said.

Clients also enjoy having someone close to their age because they feel their older peers will better understand what they are going through.

Prior to joining Seniors Helping Seniors, Moore had lived experience taking care of seniors — her mother and her husband, who’s 14 years older than her.

Moore’s caretaking background even dates to her childhood, when she helped her grandmother run a boarding house for older women.

By bringing a range of care, experience and assets to aging adults, Seniors Helping Seniors respects the wishes of clients who prefer avoiding assisted-living facilities and want to stay in their homes as long as possible, ensuring the safety and comfort in their last stages of life.

“I feel like I’m helping people to stay in their homes, helping them do things that they can no longer do or just give them some respite,” Moore said.

A comfortable and safe environment formed by pairing two older people together makes a “win-win situation” for all parties involved, Acevedo said.

Hired caretakers can stay active and earn an income while forming deep connections and friendships with their clients, who rely on assistance and require a companion to lean on, especially those who have lost a spouse, don’t have family close by or battle changes in their health and lifestyle.

“One of our core values is to create joyful connections,” Acevedo said. “(Caregivers) truly make a difference in somebody’s life. They make someone’s life easier.”

Meaningful purpose

Many of the active seniors looking for employment come to Seniors Helping Seniors expecting to volunteer, Acevedo said, not even focusing on money. Retired, often bored, seniors want a way to give back to the community and do something meaningful for somebody else, she said.

That’s why Seniors Helping Seniors launches older adults into the workforce — to give them something to do, a purpose or a reason to get out of the house and help a friend.

“They benefit from the relationship they are creating with that other person that is receiving the services,” Acevedo said. “They receive as much as they give. We have some caregivers that say, ‘I truly don’t know who should be paying who.’ ”

Moore feels similarly about both of her clients, who she said “need help but are not helpless.”

Moore quickly became close with Hanson, who lives alone in his Fort Collins home.

Although Moore helps Hanson with mundane tasks, like making him boiled eggs, checking his missed calls or buying him a chain to connect to his wallet so he stops misplacing it, the two never have a dull day together.

A run to the grocery store together usually concludes with a belly-laughing story to share or an ice cream cone.

Moore also formed relationships with Hanson’s girlfriend and son to ensure effective communication in case of an emergency or life updates.

The Smiths, who have been married for nearly 53 years, also felt an instant connection and relief with Moore in their home.

Lathrop has been his wife’s primary caretaker since her diagnosis in 2021. Mostly providing care on his own — with occasional help from family — he struggled to get out of the house for shopping or appointments. Vicky couldn’t be left alone, so it was a challenge to get things done around their property or to step away to do something enjoyable or relaxing.

“When you’re a primary caretaker, it’s a full-time job all the time, and you just need to be able to get away and catch your breath a bit,” he said.

Although bringing a stranger into their house during a vulnerable time felt scary, Lathrop desperately needed a caretaker. Seniors Helping Seniors vets people to ensure they are the right fit, which is how Moore came into their lives.

“There was an instant bond between Rita and my wife,” Lathrop said. “Whenever I’d say, ‘Rita is coming today,’ she’d light up.”