Meet Our Team

Ryan and Colleen Jershy, who are natives of Windsor, Ontario, both lost their fathers within a span of ten months, and decided that they wanted to do something different with their careers. Ryan was in sales and Colleen was an account supervisor with an advertising agency. While they had good jobs, they felt that providing home care was the answer. Says Colleen: “It was the horrible loss that we both experienced that prompted us to change our career paths. We were looking for something more rewarding that allowed us to give back to our community and help families in need.”

Caring for grandparents and dealing with personal loss gave the Jershys a keen insight into the dilemma people face when they need care. Ryan grew up in a home with his grandmother, and after she had a massive stroke, home care services weren’t an option. The family had no choice but to put her in a care facility. When his own father took ill, Ryan says that the caregiving toll on his mother was huge and she found it difficult to cope.

They opened up the local Home Instead Senior Care office in 2009 and have been overwhelmed by how rewarding and fulfilling it has been for the both of them.

Jonathan Cook has been beside Denielle in this journey of providing quality senior care to Niagara since the beginning. As an aerospace engineer, Jonathan's work has brought the two all over Canada and the U.S. After thought and consideration, they decided to return to Denielle's hometown of Niagara Falls and open Home Instead.

Caring for a loved one is not an easy task, and Jonathan's experience as a caregiver started early. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and fought hard for 8 years. At 16, he became her support, taking care of her, the house and attending school.

Years later, Jonathan became a primary caregiver for his grandmother. She was a widower, had lost both her children to cancer and was diagnosed with dementia. She was Home Instead Niagara's first client at the age of 96.

Jonathan has experienced many of the same challenges that other families go through when caring for an ageing or ailing loved one. He has first-hand knowledge of balancing it all; school, career, relationships, parenting young children, all while caring for a family member. This has provided him with deep empathy for the families we support.

It may take a village to raise a child, but Jonathan believes it also takes a community to support our seniors. That is what Jonathan and Denielle have strived to create: a community to support and assist both seniors and their loved ones.

Paul McPherson is the office Service Coordinator and has been a member of the Home Instead team since 2016. He is usually the first person that you will speak to when you call our office.

Paul is a long-time resident of the Niagara region, having moved here to attend school over two decades ago.
Paul has worked in a variety of industries and positions during his working life. This has allowed him to accumulate a wide variety of skills.