Ms. Theanna Zika

Theanna Zika is devoted to taking care of people. As a dental hygienist, she worked within a dental team to care for her patients oral health. As the owner of her home care agency, she manages a staff of caregivers committed to improving the quality of life for the elderly and others requiring special assistance. Theanna Zika’s compassion for others has spurred her success in both fields.

Heavenly Helpers Senior Care opened in 2004 in St. Louis, Missouri. Theanna's role within the company has changed as it has grown. While she no longer does the day to day operations of the business, she guides and manages her office staff carefully. "I feel one of my jobs as a leader is to not let complaceny set in. I am continually trying to challenge our staff with new projects. I also am always pushing us to attend seminars and webinars to create this environment of curiosity and learning," says Theanna. Theanna's role has now branched out into marketing and networking for Heavenly Helpers. Theanna Zika attends networking events and business seminars to ensure Heavenly Helpers remains a known presence in the community. Theanna has also worked hard to increase Heavenly Helper's internet presence by completly revamping their website as well as adding a weekly blog. "I am also dipping my toe into the social media waters," says Theanna. "There is such a vast array of social networking sites so one has to do their homework to decide which areas to invest their time and attention. For a small business such as ours, it isn't feasable at this time to participate in every single social media site out there. So we are starting slow and learning the ropes. But I don't believe a business can stay competitive without joining in and interacting with their clients and the public. It is expected nowdays and if you are not out there you can bet your competitor will be!"

In 6 years, Theanna has built up the business to 45 current clients and a staff of more than 60 caregivers. Between 2004 and the present, Theanna Zika and Heavenly Helpers served over 300 clients with no complaints. She is proud to have a perfect grade "A" with the Better Business Bureau. For 2009, Heavenly Helpers anticipated 1 million dollars in gross revenue.

Constantly seeking improvement, Theanna Zika devises questionnaires to acquire feedback from clients and caregivers. These surveys help her determine which areas of business need attention. "In hindsight, we actually grew too quickly," states Theanna. "We did not have time to get certain infrastructure into place and that came back to haunt us". This in addition to the economic slowdown negatively impacted the growth of the business. "We had to step back and re-evalute some things," says Theanna. "But our slowdown enabled us to begin to put into place the systems and staff that needed to be there. We hired Amy, our Case Manager, who now does drop in visits to our clients homes." Additionally, Ms. Zika instituted monthly training sessions for her caregivers to supplement their skills. Theanna sought out a variety of speakers from the medical and social work field, This killed tow birds with one stone. Theanna was able to form relationships with these key potential referral sources and educating her care givers at the same time. "To gain referrals you have to show you are knowledgable about geriatric issues and constantly learning," says Theanna. Towards this end, Theanna Zika is currently studying to earn certification as a National Senior Advisor, which will require flying to Minnisotta in June and attending a rigorous three day course to prepare for the national exam. "I will really be proud to be able to put Certified Senior Advisor after my name!" exclaims Theanna.

Theanna's goal for the second half of 2010 is to become more involved with the issue of Alzheimer's. She and her staff have attended numerous lectures and classes which discuss the latest research on the subject. "What we are learning now is that we are diagnosing Alzheimer's too late in the game," laments Theanna. "We know now that by the time someone begins to experience even the slightest symptoms, massive brain damage has occurred. We are actually diagnosing the disease in the late stages which is why we are not seeing much improvement with the current medications out there." Theanna is passionate about trying to get the word out and educate the public about this aspect of Alzheimers. She just recently devoted another page to her website to Alzheimers information. There has also been much research done concerning the stress of those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. "We have learned that there is something about this particular kind of stress in this particular environment of dealing with someone you love with dementia that is deadly," states Theanna. Evidently the chronic stress creates an environment of chronic inflammation within the body which in turn causes illness.

Care givers of loved ones with Alzheimer's have 8 times the depression rates of others. "We want to urge families to accept help. Other family members, friends, people at church can all pitch in. However, when you are talking about chronic dementia it is usually wise to have a trained care giver coming in on set days and times," advises Theanna. Friends and family, while well meaning, have their own lives and often if they can't make it, the person who was counting on them doesn't feel he or she has the "right" to say anything. Sometimes the best solution is to let the trained care giver do the bulk of the care with others filling in small increments. "It is not a sign of weakness but actually a sign someone has a grasp and understanding of the importance of taking a break!" Theanna says emphatically.

Theanna hopes she can educate and convince family members that it is imperative they get away from the situation regularly to keep themselves healthy. It is mentally and physically exhausting caring for a chronically ill loved one on a day to day basis. It can be like caring for an infant but with no end in sight. To read more about Alzheimers or how to contact valuable resources, visit Heavenly Helper's website at www.HeavenlyHelpers.net. You can also email Theanna directly with any questions or issues at info@HeavenlyHelpers.net.

Theanna Zika on Naymz

Theanna Zika on FastCompany

More About Theanna Zika & Heavenly Helpers