By Ashraf Dabie
Recognising the need for special care by the elderly in Guyana, young entrepreneur Abbigale Loncke has created a service to fulfil these needs adequately. However, for Abbigale, it is not just providing a service; it is about supplying love and companionship.
Abbigale began her career as a Care Officer in London, at the Orchard Lodge Resource Centre (secure prison for boys), while pursuing her degree back in 2006. In 2011, she returned home (Guyana) and subsequently became the first counsellor at the Sophia Care Centre, mentoring an excess of 100 children who were attached to the institution. During her time at the Centre, the passionate young woman managed to re-integrate over 40 of the young residents back into their respective communities.
However, after spending three years working with the children at the Sophia Care Centre, Abbigale was forced to make a difficult decision: leaving due to the deteriorating health of her grandfather, who was at the time living in her care.
Desperate for assistance in caring for her grandfather, Abbigale went on a search to find a facility that offered comprehensive care and support to the elderly, especially those requiring additional attention and even medical assistance. It took two years of scouring the country for her to realise what she was looking is non-existent.
Her unsuccessful search prompted her to establish a home care agency that aids families in providing care for the sick and elderly – the Community Health Care Agency, located in Georgetown.
In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, Abbigale recounted the source of inspiration behind her passion in caring for the elderly. “After my grandfather fell sick and needed extra care at home, I decided to start an agency to help families, like mine, who were in need of care and support at home. From 2013 to now, we have rebranded into Community Health Care, which for us means taking care of the health of entire communities – physically, mentally, socially.”
Abbigale listed a few services that set her establishment apart in caring for the elderly: companionship care, dementia and Alzheimer care and support, personal/grooming care, nursing care, live-in care and assisted living care, where individuals can live in a facility with their peers and still maintain their independence.
“We also provide a ‘Meal on Wheels’ service, which delivers healthy meals daily to the homes of individuals in Georgetown, Berbice and Essequibo. All meals are pre-planned and we work with any health or medical restrictions,” she pointed out.
Abbigale noted that thus far the highlight of her career was participating in former U.S. President Barrack Obama’s Young Leaders of the America’s Initiative (YLAI). This initiative provided the opportunity for the entrepreneur to be mentored by several well-established companies in the U.S. for a period of six weeks. It also exposed the young activist to different business platforms and business models, which resulted in the restructuring her company and its objectives.
Stemming from her participation in the YLAI programme, the Agency has managed to pair its mission, which is to take care of Guyana’s most vulnerable individuals, with a strong social responsibility to give back to those who are in need of support. The company has grown to the extent where it is now able to offer employment to a number of women, and for this Abbigale is extremely proud.
Besides being a timely business initiative, the Community Health Care Agency has created a volunteer drive which welcomes members of the public to give of their time to elderly individuals who are alone and need assistance, but are unable to afford such services.
“We aim to be the leading agency for elderly care in Guyana. This means our programmes would continue to expand and our staff would continue to better the care we provide. Our next goal is to finalise the opening of our Day Care Centre for the Elderly. This would be a state-of-the-art facility fostering healthy daily lifestyles among Guyana’s senior citizens. We would continue to expand the reach of our services throughout Guyana to not only provide care, but also provide employment for women. By supporting Community Health Care Agency, you will be giving back in so many different beneficial ways,” Abbigale declared.
For more information, call 659-0239 or 617-9415 in Georgetown; 771-4529/648-4302 in Essequibo; and 680-9307 in Berbice. Also, visit Community Health Care Agency on Facebook.
In commemoration of the Month of the Elderly, observed internationally in October, Abbigale said her Agency is offering a special 15% discount on all services that cater for the needs of the elderly.
