Marikay Pannone is a retiree who has spent her life taking care of others. After leaving her job at Cal Poly, she said she found it hard to stop caring for others.
“I was needing to get out of the house and do something else,” Pannone said. “I was raised by my grandparents. So I felt a real connection with older people and it was almost like a calling.”
Pannone is now a caregiver for Seniors Helping Seniors which provides in-home care, allowing her to assist older senior citizens. People typically aged 50 to 70 are able to work for the company for 12 hours each week. She said she loves being able to relate to those she has the pleasure of taking care of.
“I want to make sure that the people that I sit with and visit with and hope that they can have a good life too in their later years,” she said. “I just want to get back and make their life better.”
The San Luis Obispo County branch of Seniors Helping Seniors is owned by Ron and Maria Torres. It’s now been open for 3 years, Ron Torres said he felt drawn to helping his peers because he knew what it was like, struggling to find work after turning 50.
“I got this unrest and feeling like when I was in HR, I had to do something else,” Torres said. “But I didn't know. I was 65 years old. Really hard to find work."
By opening a branch in the county, he said he is able to provide more resources for older people in the community.
“They got here so quick and they want to give back out of their life experience, and sometimes they can see themselves needing help, maybe in 10 or 20 years, hoping somebody would be there to help them,” Torres said. “So they want to pay it forward.”
Pantone said although she’s retired, she feels fulfilled by the end of each shift taking care of her community.
“I still have a lot to offer,” she said. “My experiences, my stories."
