South San Francisco, CA June 27, 2019 by Mel Ellison, ESC Correspondent
“Find a need and fill it” is solid advice for anyone starting a new business and Chajinel Home Care Services, is doing just that and much more for the residents of the Bay Area, most especially our growing senior population.
At Chajinel Home Care Service’s (Chajinel is a Mayan word that translates to “Caregiver of the Soul”) their goal is to revive the importance of the word “Care” in Home Care Services, something that is lacking in this time of franchised and corporate owned Senior Care Centers. Chajinel’s mission statement says it all: “…to provide emotional and physical support to our patients and their family members with the power of kindness and patience.”
Owner Daniela Jonguitud, with over 20 years experience in the health care field, has witnessed first hand what a few hours of quality time can do for our beloved seniors. She tells us that, “I’ve always had a passion for helping others and for community improvement. I have always enjoyed a good conversation with a wise senior too.” She believes strongly that the core of our community can be found in our seniors and that we seem to have forgotten the importance of their role in our families, community, and society.
Chajinel owner, Daniela, takes time to visit with one of our local seniors who enjoys being able to drop in for a bit of community feeling.
Chajinel: Care of the Soul
After working in the industry for years, it became clear to her that she wanted to start a company that could would shift emphasis back to this important role our seniors play. Emphasizing the personal concern of Chajinel, she says, “Just one client at a time, our aim is to give each senior back a little of what they have done for us.”
Asked if there was a particular experience she could share that would demonstrate the rewards of her work with seniors she replied, “Oh, so many! I’m reminded of a one recent case where I was introduced to a 98-year-old who had refused several in-home care companies, fiduciaries, care managers and other such professionals.” She would come to find out that he had no family and was living alone while his wife of 65 years, who suffers from dementia, recovered in a rehab center. “He was living on peanut butter sandwiches as he had no one to take him grocery shopping….and even if he could shop, with his anemia and other conditions, he would have been unable to carry the groceries anyway.”
While she found him to be a strong and independent senior, she could see that he had become depressed, with feelings of isolation and loneliness. She says that, “Over time, we gained his trust, cleaned his apartment, took him to do grocery shopping buying the food choices he preferred, began cooking meals from scratch the way he liked, purchased new clothes, took him to the doctor and much more.” She was delighted and gratified to see the change in the man’s outlook in just a few short months of attentive care. “Soon we were able to reunite him with his wife back home. He was so happy to see her and I could just feel the depth of the love between them. It is moments like these when I am I’m so grateful I’ve chosen this profession. It is so rewarding to witness and have a hand in bringing about such immense improvement in peoples lives.”
Part of the Chajinel Team, Caregivers of the Soul.
Asked how she views Chajinel’s role going forward Daniela replied that, “We are working to create a resource center for seniors. We would like everyone to know that our doors are opened to the community. There are hundreds of in-home care agencies around but none of them dedicates time to give back to our community. We are trying to be pioneers in it, opening our doors to invite seniors to know more about our services, get to know our staff, and utilize the resources available to them.”
In keeping with this goal, Chajinel is offering workshops to educate our community and bring these resources, not just occasionally but all year around. Daniela says, “We have workshops two Wednesdays a month covering topics from the use of CBD for seniors, to Medicare benefits and information and the like.” She believes that with this kind of information, along with a little helping hand from Chajinel, many more independent seniors will be able to stay at home safely and comfortably. She wants everyone to know that Chajinel is a space where our senior community and their love ones are welcome to stop by and, “…have coffee, play a game or just talk with us anytime. We don’t want them to wait until they are in need or in crisis. We would much rather help educate and serve them now.”
Asked to list some of the services available, Daniela says, “We offer any services that are non-medical. We can do simple companionship and safety to prevent further complications, falls, isolation and/or depression just to mention some. We can also help with transportation, medication reminders, Alzheimer’s, dementia, and any other neurocognitive disorder care, grocery shopping, meal preparation, assistance with showers, or any other activities of daily living, as well as end of life care.”
Chajinel Home Care Services is located at 208 Cypress Ave, SSF and invites anyone to drop by or call at 650-741-6107. Their website address is: https://www.chajinel.com., and you can follow them on Facebook HERE.
Local neighbors gather for a free workshop at Chajinel, located on Cypress, SSF
In addition, Chajinel invites everyone to attend their informational workshops for seniors two Wednesdays a month. The next workshop, ‘Planning Smart’ will be held on July 10th from 5:30-7:30pm at their office on Cypress. About this workshop:
As we age, our needs to live day-to-day often increase, and they may be costly for you and your family. Now is the time to start planning who will take care of you when you need it most.
A Long-Term Care Insurance policy from New York Life Insurance Company may be a valuable part of your retirement planning. It may help protect all you’ve worked for—your home, your savings, your legacy—giving you the means to afford the kind of care you may need, in the manner in which you choose.
