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SENIORCORP PRESIDENT
Meet Tom Knox, Founder and CEO of
Seniorcorp
Tom has dedicated his life to helping seniors after watching his
beloved grandparents suffer needlessly in their senior years, and
the family burdened with their care. He vowed to Change the Way
America Ages to help others avoid the overwhelming pitfalls of
caring for loved ones, navigating the Long Term Care System, while
keeping them at home.
Tom and his organizations have helped thousands of families. He has
been an owner of two successful healthcare service providers and is a
member of the Society of Certified Senior Advisors. He has testified
before the Government Reform Committee of the US Congress and was
appointed by the Virginia Governor to serve on the Commonwealth of
Virginia Council on Human Rights, which protects citizens against
age and race based discrimination. He has been a board member of two
prominent senior advocacy groups - the Alzheimer’s Association and
Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia. He has been a member of
the Regent University, as well as the William Tyndale College, Boards
of Trustees. In 2002, Tom was named Chairman of We Care America, a
Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization providing funding and
resources to faith based organizations helping families and seniors
nationwide. He is a member of the Leadership Hampton Roads Class of
2002. Seniorcorp has over 150 employees in Southeastern Virginia and
has developed new services and technologies that will help families
nationwide. Tom attended Allegheny College, George Mason University and
Oxford University in England. Upon graduation, Tom worked in the
Japanese school system and then joined an international Real Estate
Company in Tokyo, Japan. Before entering the healthcare field, Tom
served as the Director of Sales and Operations for DISHNETWORK and
then as the Senior Vice President for the Christian Broadcasting
Network. Tom and his wife have 4 children and reside in Norfolk, VA.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION-
A
Passion For The Senior Community
Tom’s interest in care for the elderly grew with his career. As a
child, he spent volunteer time at nursing homes with his mother.
Growing up, Tom had close relationships with his grandparents. He
was always drawn to older patients, widows, and elderly in need –
particularly during mission trips and travel around the world. Tom
learned much from the Japanese about elder care while living there.
In Japan, family, friends, former employees and the government,
treat seniors with respect, love and reverence.
Tom’s own aging family faced challenges of their own. He watched
helplessly as his beloved grandparents suffered unnecessarily in
their later years. They had a loving family and financial resources;
but they could not: get anyone to provide answers to their
questions, provide timely or coordinated needed medical services,
give clarity on insurance and legal issues, fight for their rights,
or even protect them from negligence and fraud.
His paternal grandmother, Edith, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease
and was in and out of nursing homes. They had to declare bankruptcy
to qualify for Medicaid. The stress of caring for her left his
grandfather, Bill, weak, feeble, and unable to care for himself.
His maternal grandmother, Mae, was neglected in a convalescent
center. She was left alone during one particular fall, which broke
her hip and caused a heart attack. No one responded for eight hours
to her screams or the signal from her call-button. Mae returned home
but she was never the same. Tom’s mother had to move from New Jersey
to Florida to care for Mae, unassisted, 24-hours-a-day for four
months, until near her death. Tom’s mother says the stress was
unbearable. Thousands of dollars were wasted on bad service and
advice.
Tom’s grandfather-in-law, Bill, took full time care of his wife,
Florence, with Alzheimer’s disease. Bill died of stress-related
disease and exhaustion. Florence lived years longer, suffering
horribly from Alzheimer’s. Florence had to move in with her son and
family, which turned their lives upside down caring for her. They
chose to become care-coordinators and guardians. The family wanted
to direct the care themselves but when they tried to get help and
services from the outside, they found very few answers. They were
glad they provided care for their mother but were exhausted
navigating the system.
In all of these cases, one issue remained the same. Nobody in the
family could find an organization to manage this burden for them and
prevent some of these tragedies from happening. No one was there to
offer coordinated services, act as an advocate with insurance
companies, tap into community help, or protect the family’s finances
and independence. Most importantly, no one could provide what they
really needed – complete assisted living in the home, and what they
wanted - Consumer Directed Care.
If someone had provided this service, their last years would have
been a totally different experience. It would have saved them tens
of thousands of dollars, and added quality years to their lives.
Tom heeded the call. He began researching the needs of the booming
senior population and realized new solutions were imperative. The
idea of a revolutionary, compassionate business to change the way
America ages – Seniorcorp - was born.Seniorcorp Inc. has been
featured numerous times on national television and is in the process
of expanding services to help families nationwide.
Background and Professional History
Tom lives in Virginia, with his wife and four children.
Tom graduated from GeorgeMasonUniversity in Fairfax, Virginia. He
studied at OxfordUniversity in England and the University of Hawaii.
After graduation, Tom lived in Japan for three years. He worked for
the Japanese Ministry of Education for one year. He then moved to
Tokyo and worked for two years with an International Real Estate
Company. Tom was able to travel to more than 30 countries before
returning to continue his career.
Upon his return, Tom joined Echostar Communications (DISH NETWORK)
in Denver, Colorado. At age 28, he became Echostar’s youngest
Director of Sales and Operations.
In 1997, Tom wanted to expand his experience and joined one of the
largest non-profit organizations in the country. Within three years
he was named a Senior Vice President for CBN. He also launched the
largest book campaign in publishing history. The $7-million-dollar
publishing campaign was featured on numerous news outlets, including
ABC World News Tonight. Most fulfilling were the mission trips and
humanitarian aid programs Tom participated in nationwide and
internationally. He was able to reach out to those in need,
particularly seniors and their families.
The Launch of Seniorcorp
After two years of research, Tom knew the only way to learn the
needs of seniors and solutions for the aging process, was to join
the heartache field to experience its inefficiencies and pitfalls.
Tom purchased part of a medical, respiratory and rehabilitation
equipment provider in Virginia. Due to high customer service the
customer base tripled. Eighty percent of the customers are seniors.
Tom sold his share of the business to launch Seniorcorp.
Seniorcorp has brought fresh solutions to boomers, seniors, their
families and the heartache industry. It has dramatically improved
the Way America Ages, and prevents burdening our lifestyles, family
relationships and economy. Seniorcorp has been an answer to handling
the coming “Agewave.” It is the new solution for Assisted Living At
Home and consumer directed care that millions of families can depend
on now and in the future. |
