by Jesse Holth | photo by Sarah Hartley Photography –
How do we support aging loved ones? It’s a question that most of us will struggle with at some point in our lives. I chatted with Dangira Eggo, a home care support specialist and owner of Vancouver Island Home Support, to find out how we can best care for the seniors in our families and communities.
What does it mean to provide home care support?
It can be anything from fresh meal preparation to driving and errands, such as appointments, groceries and special events. Every client is different and their needs are unique – maybe they need help with personal care and laundry, or simply want companionship for gardening or other activities. The key is to promote dignity, privacy and compassion as you build a relationship with the individual.
Originally from Lithuania, you lived in the U.K. before immigrating to Canada. Can you tell us a bit about those experiences?
Each experience has come with its own challenges. It is always unsettling to leave your life behind and move elsewhere, let alone change your home country. However, it has also been very exciting to embrace these big adventures and to see what the future holds for us.
As a newcomer to Canada, how have you adjusted to life here? What have been the challenges and successes?
I found Vancouver Island, especially Sidney, to be a very welcoming community. I am so in love with this small vibrant town. My family and I have adjusted very well. The main challenge has been affordability, which we are all aware of. Everything is expensive and this can make one feel very limited. However, I’m a firm believer in making the best of what you’ve got. We have been very successful with integrating ourselves into the community – socially, personally and professionally. In the past five years, we have explored quite a bit of this beautiful Island and have had nothing but wonderful experiences wherever we went. We feel very accepted, inspired to thrive, and supported by this community.
Two years ago, you started your own business – Vancouver Island Home Support – in order to provide home support services to seniors. What made you decide to take this step?
I am a big advocate for seniors and have a lot of gratitude for them. I truly believe this generation deserves the best care possible. The seniors have done so much for us – built our economy, contributed to our communities, and passed on traditions.
I was inspired to provide home support services on my own terms, and I was keen to overcome the challenges that bigger companies face when providing senior care. I worked for a few care providers – mostly medium to big companies – and I found that those bigger companies struggled to provide unique and personalized services. Employees also tend to get “lost” in bigger companies, lacking personal connection with the employer. I found these two things to be very important and wanted to establish my own small company to facilitate unique and personalized connections with clients and employees.
Why is it so important for seniors to stay in their own homes as long as possible? What are the benefits? How can we help ourselves to stay at home longer?
We always feel our best when we are in our own home – the familiar map of the home, the sense of security, the comfort and serenity that our own home provides. Especially in older age, these things become very significant in order to enjoy and thrive in our lives. Creating a good support network will allow us to stay at home for as long as it’s safe and possible.
As we age, our needs sometimes become more complex. This could mean 24/7 care or simply that it’s not safe to live at home anymore. How do you know when it’s time for someone to move into this next phase of life?
It is important to recognize when we feel that things are becoming too much and too difficult to handle. It is very helpful to create links in our community to identify tools that will help. It’s also important to speak to family and friends when you feel that additional support would benefit you greatly in your daily life. After all, we all deserve to have fulfilling lives at any age and sometimes we may need more support than we anticipated to achieve that. And that’s OK! We are all here for one another.
Your work is driven by compassionate and person-centered care. Can you explain what this means? How do you achieve it?
To provide compassionate care means that I bring my heart in every way that I show up for my business, my clients and my employees. To strive to achieve the best and do things the way I would want them done for me. When I talk about person-centered care, I recognize that we are all unique – we have unique needs and it’s important that those needs be met in a unique and personalized way. This could mean having your table set your way, your meals prepared and cooked to accommodate your preferences, introducing you to activities that will be to your liking, and encouraging you to engage in conversations that will light a spark in your eyes. Just to mention a few – it’s all about creating connections and enhancing the lives of others.
Positivity and good energy are fundamental to the way you live your life. Why is gratitude so important to you?
Gratitude fuels my positivity and good energy. It feels wonderful to recognize people and things that you are grateful for each day, especially when you are having not the best of days. It is crucial to my being to surround myself with positive people, create a positive environment, nurture good energy and connections, and make the best of each day! I feel we are in the best place here on the Island to achieve that.
