The Alimond Show

Abby Sakariyah of Cherished Hands Home Healthcare - Transforming In-Home Care and Mental Health: Entrepreneurial Insights, Digital Strategies, and Promoting Senior Well-Being

August 27, 2024 • Alimond Studio

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Unlock the secrets to creating a thriving in-home care and mental health service with Abby Sakariyah, the visionary founder of Cherished Hands Healthcare Services. From a humble beginning as a nursing assistant, Abby’s journey to spearheading a company that offers vital support to seniors and those with special needs is nothing short of inspirational. Discover how Cherished Hands tailors its approach to ensure peace of mind for families, while fostering a nurturing environment for both clients and caregivers.

Get ready to revolutionize your entrepreneurial game as Abby shares her insights on utilizing digital tools and creating engaging content to grow a business. Learn how a strong online presence across social media platforms can build credibility and attract clients. Abby’s advice highlights the necessity of self-investment, a positive mindset, and the invaluable role of mentorship, while also emphasizing the importance of self-care to achieve and sustain long-term success.

Mental health, especially among seniors, often remains in the shadows. Abby sheds light on recognizing the subtle signs of mental health struggles in the elderly, particularly exacerbated by the isolation from COVID-19. She offers practical strategies for supporting their well-being, from sparking meaningful conversations to involving them in social activities. Finally, Abby champions the power of positivity and happiness, urging everyone to seek joy, embrace life’s journey, and live their best lives. Join us for this enriching episode and leave feeling inspired to make a difference.

Speaker 1:

My name is Abby Sakariya and I'm a family nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner by trade, and the name of our company is Cherished Hands Healthcare Services, and we provide in-home care support to seniors or anyone needing assistance at home. We also support individuals with special needs, as well as providing mental health support.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and now I want to break those services down a little bit, just so the audience, the listeners, other people who are listening, can learn a little bit more about those types of services Like is it in home, is it in a certain location? Tell me more about that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, sure. So my vision when I started the company is to help as many people as possible. So I'm hoping in the nearest future that we can rebrand the business to be a healthcare system, because we offer a wide range of services. So the hand home care support we go into the client's home. So this is a service provided by a nursing assistant or nurses registered or licensed practical nurses they go into the client's home. However, the service for people with special needs we have a group home also. That individual is a residential service. They can come in there and live and thrive and be part of the community, but we also go into their home. However, for our mental health services, we do have an outpatient mental health center in Greenbelt in Maryland and in the office we see patients for medication management psychiatric medication management, as well as psychotherapy, including individual and group therapy.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and could you tell us a little bit about how you got started in your industry, like how did this happen? How did you get to where you are today?

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help and I you know in my previous talk that I've done. I talk a little bit about myself and how I had to help my sister when she was three years old. I was eight years old and I had custody of her for a whole year and I was selling peanuts to pull her through daycare for a whole year. So my goal and my vision and my mission in life is to help as many people as possible, and I also wish I can take everybody's suffering away. But I try within my power to do my best. So I started in the healthcare industry going back to your question as a nursing assistant. So I went to nursing assistant school and and then I became a registered nurse. That was like in 2014. And I went back to school and got my master's, but in between, when I was going back to school, that's when Cherished Hands was born.

Speaker 1:

But the reason why I started the business was when I was a nursing assistant. I would love the certain things that I saw that I didn't like and I wanted to correct where the staff get the support they need. You know, my goal as a business owner is to build community support, both for our clients as well as our care providers. So I want the caregiver to have the support they need from the management so before they go into the client's home they have the information about the clients. They've been trained because, you know, being in the caregiving industry day-to-day could be really hard. They have somebody that they can lean on, if you know, if they're having a rough day. So that is why I get started in the home care industry. That is where I started first and I, you know, expanded into helping individuals with special needs and now expanded into behavioral health as well. I just finished my second master's.

Speaker 2:

Congratulations. Thank you as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Speaker 1:

I really want to make a difference in this world and that is what I've been able to do with Cherish Tense. It gave me the platform.

Speaker 2:

That is amazing. I love that you brought up the subject about making sure that your employees, your staff, your team are well taken care of, because in order for them to be successful and be set up for success, they need to. It starts, you know, in the, in the main working department for them. Before they go into other people's homes and figure out what to do, they go in there with the knowledge and support. Yes, and I think that that is amazing.

Speaker 1:

And I think that is what is missing in most companies where they have so much turnover. We have really good retention in our company because the staff feel like they have a say, that they belong to part of a team.

Speaker 2:

No, yeah, that's super important. What are some common things people go to you for, for your services Like is it maybe the elderly? Is it maybe somebody with a disability? What are some of the challenges that families are having that they're looking to go to you?

Speaker 1:

the challenges that families are having, that they're looking to go to you. So part of the challenges in the senior care industry is first accepting the help, because you know people, even including myself I love my independence. People like to do things alone. As human, we don't like change, but most seniors, as we age even all of us we're going to need support at some point in our life. So I have family coming to me like okay, mom, she's changing, you know she's needing more help, but she doesn't want to accept.

Speaker 1:

And that is where our company comes in as my expertise and also my other admin staff to go into the home and do an assessment. We provide a free, complimentary in-home care assessment done by a registered nurse to find out what do they need, and try to encourage the clients, and their family members as well, to come up with a plan. We help them come up with a plan so that way they know that if okay, if they go back to California, that mom is well taken care of. So it's not one size fits all, so that's what we do.

Speaker 2:

Okay, and you mentioned that sometimes they want their independence and it's hard for them to transition into maybe getting help. You can't do it yourself. How do you help that process for them? Is there maybe therapists, or how did that work?

Speaker 1:

So I have really good skills, which I've taught my other team member. You have to meet people where they are, you learn to make compromise and also, in addition to all of this, because it's hard to navigate different routes, where do we go? So we also have a YouTube channel and I have a lot of educational videos how to understand dementia, delirium, fall prevention, how do we even pay for care Because those are the questions that people come to us for Okay, mommy's needing help or daddy's needing help? I don't know what to do. So I say, okay, you know what. This is what we're going to do.

Speaker 1:

We set up the free in-home care assessment. But before I come to you, these are some resources. And also, you know, we've developed a database of resources in our company that we work with other community partners. We've developed a database of resources in our company that we work with other community partners, like, if we can help you. Here is where this is what mom needs. Based on my assessment as a clinician, this is what dad needs, so that way they can feel like they have the support.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. That leads me into my next question, with marketing. It sounds like you're on YouTube making videos. Talk to me about that. As a business owner, these types of tools have benefited you and help your clients.

Speaker 1:

So I think you know, right now I like to. I personally love to be ahead of my game in everything I'm doing, and the old word is going towards digital, whether we like it or not. You know, that is one thing we'll learn from COVID that we can't always meet each other in person. So there are ways. And the world is global, yes Now. So there are ways. As a business owner, I would encourage anyone who is not making videos to make educational videos, not sales about nobody really want to learn about, because you know, for for me, I provide home care services and mental health services. Those are not services that people come to me. It's not like you're going to go buy a shoe or buy clothing where you're so happy. So you have to be providing educational material. How can you help people navigate their situation through your knowledge? But right now, social media and digital video that is a way to do it, you know, because you can actually reach a wider audience. So it's a really good tool.

Speaker 2:

That's great. I love that. You're already like, like you said, you like being ahead of your game. I can see that. I love that. What about for Instagram? Are you doing anything on there as well?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely so. Our company can be found on Instagram. We are on Twitter as well, which is now X, and Facebook. Every day, we post like this, like once or twice a day, as well as LinkedIn for professional to find us Because, to be honest with you, I've had family member looking for services and you know, when we pick up the phone like okay, this is what we do, say oh no, I already read about you. Like we have over 100 reviews on Google now, which is very uncommon for a home care industry. I'm a home care company. We are not part of a franchise. I started this all on my own, but I've been able to use the power of delivering quality service. If you deliver quality service and have the interest of people in mind, forget it, everything else will come.

Speaker 2:

Wow, that's amazing, like the fact that you started it yourself and you've built it from the ground up For anybody who's listening, who's an entrepreneur and they're thinking about, like man, how do I get my company to be successful and run for X amount of years? Can you give us any advice on, like I know you said, putting people first over profit, but give me other things Like did you have a mentor? Did you have a coach? How did that?

Speaker 1:

So one thing that is very important for somebody an entrepreneur, somebody just getting started is investing in yourself. Like you mentioned a coach, I have a coach. Even now I still have a coach People that can guide you in the right direction. That is one thing. But also, what is very, very important as an entrepreneur going into business is your mindset. Our mind is a powerful tool that we can use to change the world. Because if you go in with the right mindset, you go in as if you already win. You go in as if you already have it. It's going to come, because with business it's up and down. You can have 50 clients a day and you wake up Monday morning and there's like 10 people gone. We've had like a December like that. I was like I thought we lost the business, but we bounced back. So the first thing is the mindset and have the right attitude towards what you're doing. Profit is going to come. Everything you want is going to come to you if you do the right thing. But get the right mindset. Be grateful for what you already have, Because I remember when I first started a company, I started in my basement the first level of my house and me and my oldest child.

Speaker 1:

We used to say, when we get to 10 clients, we're going to celebrate. Come on, look how many clients we have now. How many it's a lot, Okay, it's a lot. So you know. But look at us, but that was the only thing we wanted at the time is only 10 clients. But we've grown to expanding into other area of business as well, to where we own our own home. So, but if we see the positive things that is working in our life, Everything you want is going to come to you, no doubt.

Speaker 2:

I love that, I absolutely love that. And that goes to say like, yes, there's a lot of hard work you need to put into this, like you have to live it and breathe it, to grow it from the ground up. How did you stay, I guess, sane or mentally sharp and healthy to do that? Like, did you take breaks where you're just like no, no breaks? I got to do that. Like, did you take breaks Were you just like no, no breaks? I got to do this until I get my 10 clients. Where's the balance?

Speaker 1:

So everyone that knows me know that I'm very driven and I'm very determined to do whatever I want to do. But I, you know, I went to a conference like last year, because I'm a very hardworking person. I work really hard to get whatever I want. But I learned that hard work alone is not going to do it, Because if you work so hard to where you're born out and you're not taking care of yourself, you cannot help anybody. So the first thing so I always help everybody. So I turn the table around like, okay, now I'm this year old, let's see how I can take care of myself. So I put my mental health first. I don't let things bother me, because if you're bothered, you cannot think straight. Actually, when you are relaxed, you know, I put on my Facebook today. I said relax, trust and expect. That is a process. You relax, you can think properly, take care of yourself, make sure you're eating your nutrition is very important and your sleep, Because when we sleep, that is when our organ can actually detoxify itself properly. That will also help you as a business owner to have clarity in your business and also it will be also helpful for business owners who are starting to also have a system.

Speaker 1:

Your business cannot live in your head. It cannot live in your head A business that cannot survive without the owner. The owner is an employee there. Really, it's not a business owner. And those are the things that I learned, you know, in the recent years. Like, okay, how can we make things better? Because you know, look at all of us, we fly in the airplane every day. It doesn't crash every other day. If it does, nobody will fly. No, so that is the same perspective as a business owner that we should take into our business. Yes, how can we make our business to run like a Hoy machine, Something that has a system? Like you know, for example, if you like, I'm in the care industry.

Speaker 1:

Part of what we do is hiring staff. Part of what we do is client their information. Do you schedule the next appointment? How does that look like? Is it a process that can be done without you? Is it written somewhere? Those are the business that can survive, even the owner let's say the owner, because at some point you want to retire. So those are the business that can survive and thrive in this new age. It's not something that lives in the owner's head, but that would happen if somebody is not taking care of themselves, which I've been there before. You got burned out, so you have to focus on yourself as a business owner first, from in to outside, not from outside to inside. It doesn't work that way.

Speaker 2:

Okay, wow, no, this is a lot of insightful and good information that other entrepreneurs should listen to, because sometimes maybe it can be hard for some people to find that balance and, like you said, they can burn out and then if you're not mentally sharp and healthy, then everything else can't grow around you right. So thank you for touching on that. I think it's so important to not only to care about your clients and your customers, but to also care about yourself and your own mental health.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, very important. And also, you know, I, even you know realized as a leader, because if you're a business owner, either you like it or not, you're a leader. Your staff feed off from your energy. Yes, so if you come in with the right attitude, like okay, we're going to do it, you know this is what we're going to do, you're excited about the process yourself. You know your staff and your employees, everybody's like okay, yeah, yeah, that's what we're doing. But if you come in like okay, I think we're going to do this, I'm like, oh, no, yeah, I don't think that's a good idea.

Speaker 2:

Yes, no, no, absolutely. So the energy that you put out, everybody else can like, soak it in, and so if it's good, that's great. If it's not so good. We need to work on that so everybody can feel like positive and energetic right.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. And now is there something that maybe you would like to touch on about your business that I have not touched on, that you would like for our listeners to know?

Speaker 1:

Just so you know, we provide a lot of services, but if I want to bring it all home, what I will say in one sentence is that cherishing and supporting individuals at different levels to reach their personal goals being physical goals and emotional goals, mental goals and to be able to thrive in their environment wherever they call home. So we work with clients to build a personalized, individualized care plan that meets their needs, Because in the care industry, one size doesn't fit all. You have to meet people where they are and be ready to work with them Because, like I said, change is hard, but if you're working with the client and they feel like you're part of the team, you have a better chance helping them with their transitioning.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and we were talking about mental health. I myself am curious, like, how are the elderly and their mental health like connected? Because I feel like a lot of people maybe overlook that for them sometimes and they're just like, oh, it's just fine, she's just like that, but no, there's actually something else going on. Talk to me about that.

Speaker 1:

So you know, being a family and psychiatric nurse practitioner, I understand the importance of mental health for seniors, but it's also very under-talked about because seniors themselves seniors. They don't want to talk about it because they don't want to be bothered to anyone. But how can we know? So for family, who are watching out there we need to look out for those things Is somebody? Are they feeling low? Are they feeling depressed? How is their appetite?

Speaker 1:

Because when people talk about depression, when we hear depression, we only talk about the mood, like are you feeling low or you know, but the other things, are they sleeping? Are they sleeping too much or are they sleeping little? Those are part of it. What is? How is their appetite? How is their interaction, you know, with other people? Because if withdrawn is something that we see a lot in elderly, because you know, sometimes they've loved, they lost a loved one or a friend, or maybe they move from a six bedroom house to a one studio apartment because of their changing health condition, so those are the things that family need to look at and also seek support as necessary. When we go to see their primary care doctor, talk to them about it. If they have a change in their life. Let the provider talk to them, because most of the time they will talk to the provider more than they would talk to their family.

Speaker 2:

Oh wow, that's kind of sad, but I guess that's just how it is sometimes.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, because you know they have like I have seen firsthand because elderly, they know that their child, their older children, who also maybe in their 50 or 60, they're still working Most of those people also have grandchildren, they have spouses, they have other things outside of their parents to take care of. Sometimes they have health issues of their own as well. So the parent don't want to, they don't want to tell them that. You know they act as if everything is okay because they don't want to add to their burden. But with COVID that doesn't even make it very, very hard for seniors because of the social isolation. It's a thing, it's real, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So in our company I'm more into engagement. So we have a monthly newsletter that has activities in it for seniors. It's free, it's like 24 pages, different activities, that we have new one every month and also has, you know, like stories that they can read, because so we can keep them engaged. And we also encourage our caregivers that it's not just having somebody with the shower and helping them with, you know, grocery, but there are other things like walk them outside, talk with them, play a game with them, get them engaged, because you actually see how people thrive if they get the right support.

Speaker 2:

That's wonderful, do they ever? I guess like it depends case by case, but can they maybe make friends with other people who are in the facility as well, or maybe have like a game night or something like that.

Speaker 1:

Oh yes, oh yes. That is something that we encourage our clients to do. Even we have clients that are with us and they also sometimes go to like adult daycare because they can have other individuals to play with. We have clients in facilities also that the caregiver go with them to activities. But we also encourage our care providers to engage the client while they're in the home, Because if you're asking a senior like, tell me about your life when you were 30 years old, you see how their face brightens up, how they get married or get engaged or get in a relationship with someone. What kind of work did you do? Those are the things that actually matters to them. If you get to know them, then they open up to you. So if something is wrong, they're more than likely to tell you.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, wow, it's just sad because it just makes me think about like, like you said, it is not talked about much for for the elderly, and that they used to have lives and many exciting lives and stories. And just because we get old, like we just kind of sometimes feels like oh well, they're, they're old, now time to just say like they didn't have lives, like we're living right now in jobs, like it's just, oh, they're old, that's okay, bye. Like they're people too and everybody gets old at some point and we all are going to go through it. So definitely be mindful about that and, even if your parents or family members aren't in a home yet, talk to them.

Speaker 1:

Right? Yes, it's very, it's very important to get them to know that even now you're 80 years old, there's still a lot of life ahead. Life is not end until you know.

Speaker 2:

know if somebody is still here, let them live the best out of their life yes, and if you guys maybe, like, need help, we have cherished hands here that can help you too. If you need some assistance, or maybe you need a break, they can offer that for you so you don't get burnt out and you can find a good balance. Or maybe you need full-time help, they are here to help you. Yes, yes, all right, and now for my final question. Do you have any parting words that you would like to leave for the audience?

Speaker 1:

um, you know for you know family and everybody watching at home. Um, continue to live, go out there and live your best life, have the right attitude towards life and even the entrepreneurs have the right attitude towards life and just be happy. Happy things come to you. It's just love. Gravity. Okay, you know, good things follow good things. But if you're sad all the time which all of us, we've been there, but remember that abby, give you the freedom to go live your life and enjoy to the fullest.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely Well. Thank you so much for being on the podcast and bringing awareness to a couple of things that maybe get missed, so we appreciate you being here today.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity.