Today we’d like to introduce you to Anish Patel.
Hi Anish, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Currently, I run a home care service here in Atlanta called Azalea Homecare. My journey into the home care/home health space began in honor of my late grandmother, Vimlaben Patel. During the last years of her life, countless healthcare professionals came into our home and treated her as one of their own. The respect and dignity they showed her immeasurably added to her quality of life. It is in that spirit that Azalea Homecare is here to serve families across Atlanta.
I am proud to have called Atlanta my home for over 20 years. After graduating from Georgia State University, I began my career in the hospitality industry and gained national recognition while working for Starwood Hotels, known today as Marriott International. The experience in the industry has given me deep insight into and appreciation for the importance of creating a service-oriented, quality experience that really addresses the needs of others. I have also been involved in organizing and running many charity events through a few event groups I’ve founded, PlayATL & Toast Brunch ATL, for organizations such as Autism Speaks, the Atlanta Food Bank, Toys for Tots, and the American Cancer Society. By servicing the needs of our valued members and helping our community, we at Azalea Homecare feel we are making a difference.
Over the last few years, as everyone has fought to manage the realities of an ongoing pandemic, our team has also been focused on educating the public around the lack of government funding and support around home health care, especially in comparison to traditional nursing homes, as well as supporting so many people looking for ways to avoid burnout and other mental health challenges associated with being a caregiver to loved ones and living in the midst of a global pandemic in general. Our goal for 2022 is really to push forward with structuring our care plans to center around not only physical limitations of our members, but to focus on mental health betterment.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No road is ever smooth. However, experiencing the impact compassionate caregivers had on my grandmother’s final days with us, my passion for providing that same help to others has held me up when I’ve faced those tough challenges. Getting started, coming from a hospitality background, I struggled to get things started in a new industry. Immersing myself in the industry and learning the policies and procedures that needed to be put in place was a key goal of mine, as we wanted to create an exceptional agency culture to genuinely fill the need for more reliable care in the industry. This took countless hours, including time spent immersed in the industry, volunteering at senior independent and assisted living facilities. This was really how I was able to gain knowledge that ultimately assisted with getting licensed and running in such a complex and opaque area of healthcare. . Since then, the past two years have been some of the most challenging of my career. The strain of the pandemic caused an influx of new members needing care, but simultaneously we’re experiencing a staffing shortage that has not been seen on this level.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You learn a lot from taking the time to listen to our aging and disabled. It is a humbling experience and makes you truly understand that most things in life are really not important. To do this type of work well, you also learn to value your own mental health as much as your physical wellbeing.
What are you most proud of that you built brand wise? I am proud of our team’s efforts to make clients and employees feel welcomed and taken care of, and how this has made Azalea Homecare a brand that people trust.
We’ve been impressed with Azalea Homecare, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
More information about services can be found here: https://www.azaleahomecare.com/services
Really, it comes down to “Our family. Caring for yours.”
This is more than a company tagline. It is personal. For our team, taking care of your families is our calling.
It really boils down to empathy, which I believe should be at the center of any service-oriented enterprise. Azalea Home Care is committed to providing superior personal care services at the lowest possible cost, while maintaining the highest level of respect, dignity and appreciation for our customers and their family members.
Why? Because we’ve been there before. Our business and services are built around personal experiences with senior healthcare and family loss. We understand that it can be frightening and painful to see someone you love struggling to care for themselves and we work to make the process of “aging at home” as smooth as possible. As I mentioned, this company was literally built-in memory of my grandmother. This is also because helping others and caring for those in need was a major part of what my grandmother believed in. Born in 1919, my grandmother did a lot of charitable work across different parts of Africa during the years that she lived there. As one of her final acts, she became one of the primary donors to the creation of a religious community center in Northeast Georgia. Whilst on her own journey of ‘aging at home’, my grandmother encouraged me to keep caring for people and motivated me to pursue this career path as she witnessed a similar passion for helping others in need. In many ways, Azalea Homecare is a part of her legacy.
Built on that ethos, we understand the burdens and difficulties of caring for elderly or disabled individuals and we work to meet each family’s particular needs by offering flexibility in the assistance packages we offer, be it hourly, daily or by specific assignment.
Our services include but are not limited to:
- Personal care
- Incidental transportation
- Outpatient assistance
- Relocation assistance
- Shared Services
- Live-in services
- Meal preparation
- Respite or relief for family
Our family takes care of the loved ones you value most. We do not take that duty for granted. We pride ourselves in giving our customers peace of mind by answering tough questions and guiding them through the entire senior healthcare journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.azaleahomecare.com, https://www.azaleahomecare.com/blog
- Our Blog: https://www.azaleahomecare.com/blog
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azaleahomecare/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Azaleahomecare/
- Other: https://www.azaleahomecare.com/resources
