National Caregivers Day Shout out to Help at Home’s 2022 Caregivers of the Year and our 50,000 Caregivers

February 17 is National Caregivers Day, which is one special day of the year designated to recognizing caregivers across the country for the selfless, caring and compassionate work they do for others. It’s an important day of recognition, but we strive to recognize our 50,000 caregivers every day for the amazing care they provide to clients. And, while all of our caregivers are special to us because they provide such a valued service to our community, we have exciting news to share about nine of them this year!

We’re recognizing nine amazing caregivers who were named by Help at Home teams across the country as our State Caregivers of the Year for 2022. We’re proud of the work they do every day going ‘above and beyond’ to create Great Days and Meaningful Moments for clients – every day.

“These awards go to amazing caregivers,” said Joel Davis, Chief Caregiver Officer/Associate Counsel. “But we know that all our caregivers do important work and many of them are equally deserving. These awards are intended to put a spotlight on the valuable work done by all Help at Home caregivers every day.”

Many of the award winners had traits in common.  They were universally praised for having excellent attendance records, being easy to work with and giving their supervisors prompt notice of any scheduling changes. They also were lauded for being flexible team players, who would pick up extra shifts to cover for coworkers who needed time off.  But the biggest factor was the thoughtful care and attention they gave to their clients.

Congratulations to our honored Caregivers of the Year for 2022 that include: Elizabeth Tolbert, Columbus, GA; Rebecca Gaudette, DuBois, PA, Tammy Martin, Anderson, IN; Anne Marie Shekels, Mainville, OH; Angela Bowen, Jefferson City, MO; Jessica Seward, Pekin, IL; Lorene Jackson, Evergreen, AL; Sabrina Lacy, Hazlehurst/Magee MS; Mindi Sanneh, Allegan, MI.

National Caregivers Day is a good time to recognize our Caregivers of the Year, along with all caregivers they do that is critical to our nation’s health care system. Caregivers help with routine parts of daily living – meal preparation, laundry, running errands and personal hygiene help.

Davis said that all those tasks are important, but for many clients the biggest value is the emotional and social connection they experience when the caregiver visits.

“For a lot of our clients, the caregiver is the person they see the most often – even more than they see their families,” Davis said. “The caregiver isn’t just the person who helps them clean and prepare meals, they are their connection to the outside world.”

Clients can live relatively independently where they want to live – at home. And the clients’ families also benefit because they can focus on their own work and family responsibilities, secure in the knowledge that their loved one is receiving the care they need.

A Caregiver of the Year was selected in each of Help at Home’s participating states. The selected caregivers will receive a monetary award as well as a plaque recognizing their achievement.

Here are just a few examples of the thoughtfulness and compassion shown by some of our Caregivers of the Year:

• Sabrina Lacy from Mississippi, who cooked and cared for one client with so much thoughtfulness that the client said she felt as if her mom was back, taking care of her again.
• Lorene Jackson from Alabama brought some items from home to help a client’s apartment feel more comfortable. The client had been recently homeless, and her new apartment was spare until Lorene helped decorate it for Christmas. “She is really bringing the joy,” according to her supervisor.
• Rebecca Gaudette from Pennsylvania was praised for making a special effort to notify case managers about any social services her clients need, so they can be connected to the right agencies.