How Bonnie Laiderman Earned the 2016 MCHS Leadership Award
by Janet Jennewein
Please join us in congratulating the president of Veterans Home Care, Bonnie Laiderman, on being honored with the Missouri Council for In-Home Services 2016 Leadership Award!
“This award is very special to me. I started my company here in Missouri which is the ‘show-me’ state. At first I was met with some skepticism, but now I believe we’ve finally shown Missouri that we’re about helping disabled veterans remain in their homes and live with the dignity they deserve,” said Bonnie.
How do you achieve such an honor?
The criteria for this award is: someone in the home care industry who has provided special service to the in-home industry in the areas of: education, research, improvement to patient care or to one who has:
• contributed notably toward the advancement or impact on the home care industry in Missouri
• initiated or participated in activities promoting quality home care at the state, national or local level
• demonstrated outstanding personal and professional leadership qualities within the industry.
Bonnie leads by example
Bonnie is an exceptional leader in business, in home care and in the veteran community. If you were sitting next to her on a plane as she travels across the country to her regional offices in Michigan, California, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, you may not guess that she is a business owner of a national company she began as a solo business 13 years ago. She may just seem to be a friendly wife, mother and doting grandmother.
Yet, Bonnie started with a key marketing concept: find a need and fill it. That need came when Bonnie’s mother, Edith Sperling, passed away from cancer. Late in Edith’s illness, Bonnie learned of a Department of Veterans Affairs benefit for veterans or surviving spouses, called “Aid and Attendance,” which can pay for personal care services. Edith, the widow of a Korean War veteran, would have qualified. But by the time Bonnie applied for the pension on her mother’s behalf, it was too late. Edith passed before her application was approved.
This inspired Bonnie to start her own private company to serve the needs of veterans and their surviving spouses. Since then, Veterans Home Care has helped more than 11,000 disabled veterans or their spouses receive assistance with activities of daily living and retain their quality of life.
Bonnie accepted the award September 13 at the MCHS Annual Conference in Osage Beach, Missouri. It’s great to see her get this well-deserved recognition in Missouri where she launched the company.
