Guyana’s first structured home care institution, Essential Care, yesterday officially opened its doors to the public at its Barrack Street, Kingston office.
The agency is the first in Guyana to provide personal care, through the help of qualified trained care workers and nurses, to elderly, disabled or mental unstable persons living at home.
Chief Operations Officer Elwyn Boyle said the agency offers live-in, day, night and
personal care for families who have a disabled relative.
The company also provides companionship and mental care for persons.
The company was established in October 2013 at a cost of $2.3 million. It is a small investment which Boyle said is expected to explode in the future giving the demand for home care services for the elderly.
“Essential Care Agency started because there was a need in my family. That is my grandma. She is past the age of mobility and she needed someone to live with her and we had difficulty finding someone to live with her,” she said at the opening.
Essential Care started with the eight nurses, which has since tripled.
She added that the agency was being asked to provide services in Essequibo and Berbice. She said calls had also come from people living in England, Canada and the US who needed care for their relatives in Guyana.
She said it was traditional that Guyanese care for elderly family members themselves but “sometimes we are busy and a care agency is needed”.
She noted that her agency has opened doors for employment especially for persons who needed a second income.
“We see that in the future this is going to explode,” she said, adding that they have recruited nurses and caregivers who have medical and surgical experience and training.
She also stated that the agency has received positive responses from clients about the care provided.
She said the home care agency matches all nurses and caregivers to the clients’ personalities and experiences, stating that all her employees are screened and trained in care service. She opined that the company would provide Guyana with a higher level of hospitability care because it gives people the advantage of remaining in their own homes instead of being placed in an elderly home.
