– Fredericks Senior Citizens Home and Services is where respect, comfort, and community come first.
WHEN age, life, and a career in nursing had finally caught up with Maxine Fredericks’ mother, she wanted to ensure her mother was cared for, respected, and happy. This is precisely why she launched Fredericks Senior Citizens Home and Services, where she and her team have worked to create a warm, welcoming space for seniors not just to live, but thrive. In her interview with the Pepperpot Magazine this week, Maxine spoke about her motivations, her experience working with the elderly, and what it takes to provide quality care for our ageing loved ones.

In 2017, Maxine and her sister found themselves facing a reality that many families eventually encounter: caring for their loved ones as they age and become less able to manage on their own. The sisters shared responsibility for their mother while balancing their own families and careers. As Maxine explained, there were many challenges in doing so. “Sometime in 2017, myself and my sister were sharing, I would do six months and then she would do six months and so forth.” During this time, she realised how important it was for her mother to remain involved in everyday activities. “I take her, I can lift her, put her in the wheelchair, and take her to the market with me, take her for drives, and so on, just everyday things,” she said.
The experience also made her aware of a common fear families have when considering placing a loved one in a senior home: that it will feel more like a hospital than a home. “Having to deal with caregivers and to see the need, I know how some families might be struggling with having to care for a loved one. The challenge that lies in caring for an elderly loved one; that is what prompted me to offer such a service to folks.” Her vision was clear from the start. “I wanted to offer a setting that is not like a hospital setting. It’s to make them feel at home. To feel like they’re a part of a family. So my home, it’s a home with a difference. It’s a home, like if you are at your own house.”
With a comfortable property, thoughtful amenities, and a dedicated staff, Maxine has successfully turned that vision into reality. Tucked away in Region Three, in the village of Parfaite Harmonie on the West Bank of Demerara, the Fredericks Senior Citizens Home is a warm and inviting establishment. Launched in July of this year, Fredericks is already home to a small but happy group of residents. “I didn’t want my home to feel like a hospital because I think that is what is lacking.” Maxine further explained, “We are adhering to their meals and so on, but the setting to make them feel at home, we have a nice living room, we have a patio and the amenities to make them feel homely.” The idea was to strike a balance between professional care and a relaxed, family-like environment where residents could feel safe, comfortable, and valued.

Fredericks Senior Citizens Home is more than just a traditional care facility; it offers specialised services to meet a range of needs. As Maxine pointed out, the home caters to both seniors who are relatively independent and those who require full assistance. “We cater to persons who can do a bit for themselves, and even those who cannot do for themselves, we cater to those as well.” Her team includes retired nurses and professional caregivers who work around the clock to provide consistent, quality care. “We have retired nurses, and we have professional caregivers around the clock for the residents. Most of my employees live in Region Three within the closed environment. I have three teams, and they do three days in and six days out.” This structure ensures that residents receive not only physical assistance but also emotional support and companionship from caregivers who are familiar faces, not just rotating staff.
One of the most distinctive features of Fredericks Home is its senior citizens’ daycare service — a long-held idea for Maxine but a relatively new concept for Guyana. This service offers a safe, structured, and engaging place for seniors to spend the day while their families attend to work, errands, or simply take a break from caregiving responsibilities. “You want to drop your loved one in the morning, pick them up in the evening, we cater to that, we will provide meals, and we will help manage medication and so forth,” she stated.
The idea came directly from her own experiences caring for her mother, as well as from listening to other families in similar situations. She quickly realised that there was a need for such a service, even if it might take some time for the public to embrace it fully. “The daycare aspect is still new. We know that there are persons who really don’t want to put their loved one in a home and leave them there. So I think this would be new to our country. It’s something that persons still have to wrap their minds around,” she added. “You drop them off, and we will cater to their food, their meals, their snacks, they will be able to participate in whatever they’re doing at the home.”
At the heart of Fredericks’ operations, however, is a simple but powerful principle: respect. Although the home offers a wide range of services and care packages, Maxine insists that treating residents with dignity is the most important part of her work. “Respect is something that I hold dearly. My mother having a nursing background, I know what is expected. I have done the elderly course, and the training that I received, it tells me about respect and dignity.” She added, “We give them an ear, even if it’s a bit repetitive, I’ll come back. We have to know how to talk and how to treat these folks.”
Today, Fredericks Senior Citizens Home & Services offers both live-in care in a cosy, homelike setting and its innovative daycare programme that keeps seniors active and engaged. Residents enjoy nutritious home-cooked meals, assistance with daily activities, medication reminders, personal grooming, hygiene care, and recreational activities designed to keep minds and spirits active. The home also provides dementia and Alzheimer’s management in a clean, eco-friendly environment.
In collaboration with the Regional Health Office, Fredericks offers free quarterly medical check-ups, free medication, and one complimentary physiotherapy session each month. With compassionate, experienced nurses and caregivers, personalised attention for each resident, and a family-owned, community-focused approach, Fredericks strives to be a peaceful, welcoming space where seniors are treated with the same love, respect, and dignity that inspired Maxine to open its doors in the first place.
To learn more or arrange a visit, Fredericks Senior Citizens Home & Services can be found at Lot 293, 15th Street, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, or reached at 592-682-3100 and fredericks.sch@gmail.com.