Elsa Minaya It is a symbol that everything is cyclical. For much of his life, he dedicated himself to caring for older adults at the María Auxiliadora Nursing Home and today, at 67 years old, he faces the beginning of Alzheimer’splus a history of depression, so now she is the one who needs care.
But she is not alone. He has the assistance of his daughter, Sugey Minaya, certified caregiver for the Directorate of Social Development Supérate.
Sugey cares his mother with care and dedication, a vocation that he also extends to other elderly people he cares for as part of the care pilot program that promotes the institution in the municipalities of Santo Domingo Este and Azua of Compostela.
The theme of care represents one of the main needs in the Dominican Republic. According to recent estimates, the total demand for care (for children under five years of age and adults with moderate or severe dependencies) exceeds the 900,000 peopleof which only some 100,000 they receive public care services.
Despite the efforts of specialized programs and services in the private sector, the supply of care for older adults remains limited. It is estimated that in the country more than 97,000 seniors need care moderate or severe. However, public coverage barely reaches 0.1% of this population.
The caregiver who wants to care
The stories of Sugey and Elsa Minaya have been linked to care theme for decades. From the age of 10, Sugey walked the halls of the Mary Help of Christians Homewhere he helped his mother at her work.
His childhood It took place in that environment. After school, I would go to work with the nuns, help with meals, accompany the children on walks. older adults and assisted them in simple day-to-day tasks.
Decades later, that experience became a profession. Today Sugey is certified caregiver of the care pilot program of the Government, an initiative that seeks to care for people in a situation of dependency through a home model.
Considering that in Dominican Republic the need for care reaches close to 10% of the population, and given the precariousness faced by the older adults and people with disabilities, this 39-year-old woman expresses her deep desire for the importance of care to be valued.
“Do things for love… Because we all go there, and it is difficult to reach a certain age and have them reject you or not give you love. I have always said that the love can do everythingand becoming an adult over 90, 80, 100 years old, is a privilege“, he says.
Caring, caring, caring… Your service vocation It is very strong. At this point in his life, he doesn’t care just for work, he does it because it is part of his essence.
In addition to his mother, he is responsible—through the program—for a prostrate centenarian in bed Added to this is caring for her young son and her disabled sister.
As if all this were not enough, Sugey I would like to have the chance to serve more people within the area to which it is assigned (The Mina, Santo Domingo East).
- “If I can give quality time to another person and also to my mother, I would like it. You can’t be so selfish, I say,” the woman says with a laugh.
Challenges
The humanitarian spirit of Sugey It is not the only thing that sustains it; also your resilience. Raising your child, taking care of your family and your patients is not easy. She herself recognizes the enormous effort what care work entails.
has received abuse, blows, scratchesbut continues with the same love towards the people in his care. Very heartfelt, and visibly affected, Sugey shares a difficult experience that he has lived with the lady of 105 years who cares
Without being able to reveal many details about his condition, he explains that he is a person who requires oxygenshe is bedridden and, at night, cries for his mother. When telling it, his voice breaks and crying becomes inevitable.
“I began to shoutto call his mother at dawn. I went up to her and told her to calm down, and she scratched me. That topic is difficultespecially when the loss has been so prolonged…”, he mentions.
In the face of so many heartfelt pauses and tears, it was inevitable to ask him how he handles the situation. To which she responded with a fixed and determining look: “With dear and a lot tolerance… It’s hard to get to an age and have people forget about you.”
900,000
The estimated number of people at the national level (children under five years of age and adults with moderate or severe dependencies) who require care.
He also reports that during a internship in the area of psychiatry San Francisco de Asís Asylum She was attacked by a patient, who, when passing her food, pulled her hair, even though she had it tied up.
Model care commitment to outsourcing
At 39 years old and with contagious energy, Sugey represents the people—mostly women—who are dedicated to caring in the country, whether professional way or to their relatives.
As Sugeyhe Get over program has 155 people with permanent contracts dedicated to providing care in the mentioned municipalitiesalthough it is expected that the program will gradually extend to other highly vulnerable areas.
The impact reaches almost the same number of beneficiaries, since each caregiver Serves one or two patients on average.
In less than three years, around 4,000 people have graduated from training programs designed for three different population groups, within the framework of the progressive development of the Care System. These groups are: care for elderly people with dependency, personal assistants for people with disabilities and first-line care. childhood.
This growing need represents a chance to create a broader market around care theme. The national program of caredriven by the Care Directorate of Supérate, will bet on 2026 for a model of outsourcingAs explained by its director, Anabel Rivas.
The strategy consists of tender services hourly care, which will be provided by companies or MSMEs that meet the established requirements. “We do not provide the service directly. The companies that win the process are hired, and they, in turn, hire the caregivers,” Rivas said.
He added that a new tender promoted by Supérate, with funds from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is in the process of closing, so it is hoped that coverage can be expanded to more homes in the coming weeks.
The current salary of caregivers is between 22,000 and 24,000 pesosand the program contemplates fixed modalities and in internship. Currently, there are some 200 people in the induction process to train as caregivers, and 451 They already completed their training in December 2025.
The care is personalized, and each home receives a package of services according to the level of dependency of the person, determined by the instrument Ediam (Comprehensive Development File for the Elderly), applied by the National Council for the Aging (Conape).
