FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #66 Aging in Place: How SYNERGY HomeCare Empowers Seniors
When hospitals wouldn't release her father without in-home care during COVID, Beata Alghabra discovered a critical gap in elder care services that would ultimately change her professional path forever. After watching her father's health decline during an extended hospital stay simply because they couldn't arrange home care, Beata found her calling.
Today, as founder of SYNERGY HomeCare of Fredericksburg, Beata leads a compassionate team dedicated to helping seniors age in place—surrounded by the memories and environments they've built over decades. "We add that value to their already existing quality of life," she explains, emphasizing that their caregivers do far more than assist with basic needs. They serve as patient advocates, objective observers who can spot potential problems before they escalate, and vital bridges between seniors and their adult children.
What makes Beata's story particularly compelling is her candid take on entrepreneurship. "You can have it all, just not at the same time," she advises, refreshingly honest about the realities of building a business. Her leadership philosophy evolved from being deeply involved in every detail during startup to "leading from behind" as her team grew. "Get out of your own head," she counsels fellow entrepreneurs, "don't be obsessed with the part that's not perfect." This wisdom, combined with her team's 24/7 commitment to compassionate care, has established SYNERGY as a trusted local resource for families navigating the challenges of aging. Want to learn how quality in-home care can transform a senior's quality of life? Listen now to discover why Beata believes prevention and presence are the cornerstones of dignified aging.
Beata Alghabra
SYNERGY HomeCare of Fredericksburg
synergyhomecare.com/va-fredericksburg
fredericksburg@synergyhomecare.com
+1 571-752-2991
500 Westwood Office Park, Fredericksburg, VA.
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the FXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. Today I'd like to introduce you to my guest. We have Beata Alghabra here today with SYNERGY Home Care of Fredericksburg. Beata, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me. It's so wonderful to be part of your podcast and everything that we have going on in the community, so thank you for hosting.
Speaker 2:Of course, I'm excited to learn more about you and your business. So let's start there. Share with the listeners a little bit about Synergy Home Care.
Speaker 3:Okay so, it's definitely it's for our aging in place most vulnerable community. For the most part, we help our seniors what's called aging place stay in their home, be surrounded by what they consider to be their memories that they've created and are living around for the generations, decades that they built their life around, and so we help them. Rather than you know, some unfortunately do have to go to assisted living or nursing or whatever the case may be. But for the most part many seniors want to stay in their home and their families want them to stay in their home. So we add that value added. We add that value to their already existing quality of life and we're that extra hand in the process.
Speaker 3:So what we do is really we're part of a franchise network nationwide. We've been in business for over 20 years nationwide, but in Fredericksburg we are local. We've been open for almost three years now, very proud, local to the community. Our children grew up here, for the most part middle school, high school, now at university. Our son is in the military. My husband's a local provider here in the community. So we love being here and we're loving that we're part of a community.
Speaker 2:Amazing, amazing. As someone who has parents in their late 70s, I know firsthand how important the work that you're doing is. So thank you for providing this service and congratulations on hitting the almost three year mark. Congratulations on your success, thank you, thank you. We're very proud of it.
Speaker 3:We're very humbled by the opportunity but also we know what we provide to the community. Congratulations on your success, thank you. Thank you. We're very proud of it. We're very humbled by the opportunity, but also we know what we provide to the community. It's a responsibility and we don't take that lightly, so we're very happy yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:So, tell me a little bit about you. I'd love to learn your background and how your journey led you to starting this business.
Speaker 3:So really, I you know it's always been corporate for me Wall Street a little bit here and there, and then I fell into healthcare. My husband is a PA in dermatology and he's local here over at Clinical Dermatology. But before that I, you know, dealt with operations. But then COVID hit and my father got sick and he was not going to be released unless we had care for him in the home. And we were long distance and we couldn't make it happen. So he ended up staying in hospital for an additional six weeks and we could see the deterioration or his decline, his mental health declining because he couldn't be at home. And even though he was COVID free, he had other comorbidities and it just wasn't going to be suitable unless he was home with a caretaker or a caregiver. And so that led one discussion to another and three years later almost four years later, because the process took a bit and here we are, and it really is a valuable service that we provide. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Speaker 2:So really that's how.
Speaker 3:SYNERGY fell into my lap On a corporate level. It's an amazing group of people who all have the same kind of warmth and compassion in mind, because you can't do this line of business with that in mind at all times.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I bet. So tell me, do you find that there are any misconceptions about the industry?
Speaker 3:Well, really, you know, I don't think really people understand that we add value. It's not so much just personal care or helping your loved one take a shower or eat or whatever.
Speaker 3:But it's also about, you know, having an additional person in the home, that second set of eyes that's observant but also objective. It helps, you know, you can spot certain problems a little bit more ahead of the game and prevent things from happening, rather than dealing with a situation, you know, trying to catch the ball as it drops. So we are the patient's advocate, the client's advocate, but also we're that intermediary between adult children, family and that loved one. So we do play a family role but at the same time we're more than happy to do it. So, yeah, Amazing, amazing.
Speaker 2:It is such an important role, a big responsibility. I imagine you feel that, and I love that you mentioned prevention. Prevention is so much easier to deal with than the aftermath, and that's in all stages of life, right?
Speaker 3:I mean, it doesn't you know for you to be a senior to do that? You should start a lot sooner than that. But many people aren't fortunate that way or, you know, certain circumstances don't lead to that. So, but if we can provide that in the aging process, why not Absolutely? I mean quality and flavor and color to your life, so why not? Why not?
Speaker 2:So yeah, yeah, so clearly you work very hard on your business and I know it's a very demanding industry. But I'd love to know, when you're not working, what are you doing for fun, girl? Let me tell you.
Speaker 3:Okay, so really as a founder right and you know better than anyone else. As a founder and entrepreneur, you can put work life balance to the wayside. It doesn't exist. I mean not at the same time. You just can't have it both at the same time.
Speaker 3:You can have it all just not at the same time. And so when you come to that realization, you realize when it's time to have a good time or time to have some downtime. You take it serious and you treasure those moments. So for me you know I'm a social butterfly I do like to have a great dinner party. I do rely on my husband to be that chef. He does love to try his little recipes here and there, but I'm definitely the one to make a really good cocktail. So I'll have to have you over one day for sure. But you know, and but also we do love that occasional downtime too. So it's a mix.
Speaker 3:We have a big, beautiful family, adult children, a grandson in the middle of all that and extended family, so we just thrive on it. All Great friends. We wouldn't have it any other way. So we're busy, busy, but when it's downtime it's downtime. So it's a little bit of odd. Do I have a hobby? My business is my hot, my business life, and so I knew that going in that's what I signed up for and I would. I really wouldn't have it any other way. I live and die by it and I bring to the table. So it it always comes back to that I don't have that downtime. I don't want that downtime. There'll be a time and a place for that someday, but for now I'm all in and I love it that way.
Speaker 2:So thank you for keeping it real.
Speaker 3:for us it's keeping it real, you know, it's just, it is that way. And so to tell you that you can have it all at the same time, show me, show me, I'll smoke them out, but, yes, you can have it all, but there's an, a time and a place for everything.
Speaker 2:OK, so let's continue keeping it real and let me ask you this If someone came to you asking for advice that maybe they want to start a new business or they want to buy a franchise, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 3:So there will be two parts of you two different versions of you.
Speaker 3:You'll have that founder or that entrepreneur, and then, as your business grows and scales, you have to form, to be a different kind of leader, and what I mean by that is the person that you are at the onset. It takes a micro level that detail oriented. Your processes, your systems, your efficiencies, your data analysis thrive on that. Make it as perfect as you can, but don't dwell on the perfection. Just get it done. And as you grow, you're going to have those specialized teams in place that you have to hire. You need them and you have to hire. You need them and you have to step away from yourself. Come out of your own head, get out of your own head. Let them do what they're meant to do, what you hired them to do. To scale your business to the next level. You need them, and what that means is you are leading from behind. At least I know I do. I couldn't be anywhere without my team from day one, and now they are the business.
Speaker 3:It is not a one person show, and really, when you're building a team, it's a long term strategy too. So everything you have in place isn't going to happen overnight. It's not a short term strategy at all and you have your personalities. You have your little ebbs and flows in growth, but you have to thrive on it and enjoy the process, good and bad. You're not going to have it perfect, but you will get it done. And so if you can take those two pieces and roll with it, you're going to be okay, but get out of your own head.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's such great advice. It's so hard sometimes for business owners when they are scaling to let go and to allow other team members to step into some of those leadership roles.
Speaker 3:Yeah, don't be obsessed with the part that's not perfect. Just focus on it being done and moving forward. You know it's never, been perfect, but as founders at least for me, I thrived on. Okay, is everything perfect? Guess what, even when it's perfect, it's still not going to. There's going to be a kink in it somewhere along the line. Okay, that's part of being a leader. How quickly can you pivot? How quickly can you wash it off and move right?
Speaker 2:on. You know how you react to. It is everything.
Speaker 3:Right and keeping your emotions in check. As a leader, I found like you don't get that luxury of wallowing in your emotions. You got to not react and when you go to that moment everyone else is having their meltdown. But you've got to lead and you've got to keep it balanced and that takes a lot of skill, that takes a lot of work internally and once you can foster that and manage that, I think you've got something going on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's great advice. Thank you for that.
Speaker 3:You're welcome, thank you.
Speaker 2:So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about SYNERGY Home Care?
Speaker 3:Gosh, we really have a great team, we really do Our director of operations, our manager he doesn't even like that title manager, which is an amazing title, hey, I mean, he brings it to another level. It's compassion all the way. We're on 24, seven. We care about not just you know, is everything done, but how it's done. You know it goes back to how, how, how well can we do our job, how compassionate can we be, how patient can we be and how graceful can we be with all of it, not just the work in process, but the aging process, and those two combined together you have something special which I think we are just a leader in the industry.
Speaker 2:Well, congratulations on all your success. It's been really exciting to watch you grow over the past few years.
Speaker 3:Likewise trendsetter, Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yes, it has been a lot of fun uh to work with you, and if the listeners want to connect with you, if they want to learn more from you, what is the best way for them to find you?
Speaker 3:really synergyhomecare. com, um, and from there you just google fredericksburg and we are. We just pop right up and you can call us, you can email us, you can go on our website and download an inquiry form. We get it right away and we're local. You can come stop by our office as well. We're right off of Plank Road, so in Westwood Office Plaza, so we're right across from the Metro Diner. There you go, amazing.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, Beata. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing SYNERGY Home Care with us. Thank you so much for having me, Dori.
Speaker 3:All the best, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com.