Assisting Hands Home Care Team in Fort Myers, FL
Robert Thomas – President and Owner
Esther Thomas – Office Manager
Carole Faux – Scheduling Manager
Teri Sauer – Business Manager
Crystal Orndorff – HR Generalist
Robert I. Thomas – President & Owner
Assisting Hands Home Care of Fort Myers is owned by Robert I. Thomas. He lives in Fort Myers with his wife Charisse and two children.
Having experienced the challenges of finding quality in-home care for seniors for his own father, he opened Assisting Hands in the summer of 2007 to provide Florida seniors with the kind of in home care for seniors he wished could find for his dad. In his career spanning nearly 30 years, he has always followed the same approach: Serve clients one at a time, get to know them well, and move mountains to meet their needs and exceed their expectations. He stays involved in all aspects of our service on a daily basis, seeking the best caregivers, interacting with our clients, and constantly searching for ways to improve his clients’ care.
Robert’s Fort Myers office was the very first location for Assisting Hands Home Care in home care for seniors, which now has over 50 offices nationwide. Robert was also the founder and host of the Senior Forum Radio Show, which aired Wink NewsRadio 1200 AM in Fort Myers in 2012 and 2013.
Robert lead discussions with a panel of experts on the most pressing issues facing seniors and their families. The show is currently on hiatus. Listen to past shows at www.seniorforumradioshow.com. Robert was named the 2012 Franchisee of the Year in Senior Home Care by the International Franchise Association, in recognition of his leadership, innovation, and business development in providing non-medical home health care for seniors in the Fort Myers area.
Community Service
Robert commits a significant amount of time in the following activities:
- The Community Board for Senior Friendship Center
- The Senior Hunger Task Force
- Volunteers for Hope Hospice
- Sponsor and Founder for the annual “Hands Assisting the Generations” concerts with the SW Florida Youth Symphony.
Personal History
Robert has lived and worked in 5 countries overseas and speaks to clients in Spanish and Russian as needed. Robert earned a BA from the University of Illinois in Urbana, a Masters from SUNY Albany, and an MM from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Robert comes from Chicago but is now happy to call Florida home. His wife Charisse has a PhD. in Engineering from Cambridge University and works locally as an engineer. His high school children are violinists and often perform at seniors’ events and for Assisting Hands Home Care clients.
Esther Thomas, Robert’s niece, came to Florida after finishing her master’s degree and earning her state license in speech pathology to join our Assisting Hands Home Care team. She is now our office manager (see her bio below) and speech pathologist and is happy to join Robert and the rest of our team. Esther is very passionate about utilizing her skills to help improve the quality of life for our clients. You can read her full bio below.
Esther Thomas – Office Manager
Esther is currently the General Manager at Assisting Hands Home Care. While she holds a Masters and state license in speech pathology, she was excited to move from Chicago to beautiful sunny Florida 2 years ago to join her family’s company.
Not only does Esther share the love of the company with the owner Robert, but they also share an alma mater, University of Illinois. During her speech pathology career she has focused on neurological disorders with the adult population.
She has worked in hospitals, out patient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and home health. She feels lucky to be able to pair her clinical knowledge with the needs of each client at Assisting Hands to help them meet their goals and maximize their quality of life. Esther has since gained experience with long-term care insurance policies, health insurance, and resources in the community that help with the finances of in home care. Not only does Esther do the daily management but also still practices speech therapy for Assisting Hands Home Care clients!
In Esther’s “spare time” she volunteers with the Red Shoe Society in Fort Myers and enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter Eliana, and two mini schnoodles, Linus and Lucy.
Carole Faux – Scheduling Manager
Carole Faux is our scheduling Manager and has been with the company since 2014. She has worked in healthcare since she was 18 years old, starting as a CNA in a nursing home and working her way up to Resident Services Director of an Independent Living CCRC.
Carole moved to Florida in 2004 and has worked for both Hospice and Shell Point as the Volunteer Coordinator. She has a Liberal Arts Degree and her secret passions are Archaeology & Genealogy! Carole is married, has two adult children, an African Gray parrot named Sinbad, and a parakeet named Sookie.
Teri Sauer – Business Manager
Teri Sauer has been with Assisting Hands Home Care for over 8 years and has enjoyed helping and watching the business grow.
Teri was in banking for many years as Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager and helped hundreds of people realize their dream of owning a home.
Teri also had her own successful bookkeeping business on the East Coast for 5 years. She is married to her husband of 20 years.
Her hobbies include golf, boating, and playing a variety of card games.
Crystal Orndorff – Human Resource Generalist
Crystal has been with Assisting Hands Home Care for 1 1/2 years. The part she loves most about her job is meeting new people and helping them succeed in their careers.
Crystal has worked in the healthcare field for over 35 years and loves spending time with her 8 grandchildren.
Her hobbies include boating and motorcycle riding with her husband.
