Archive for ‘awards and recognition’

Conference Inspires and Informs Florida Caregivers

Posted by on October 25th, 2011 at 3:01 am | 1 Comment »
FPACG 2011 conference attendees

Conference attendees with door prizes

The 16th annual Florida Professional Association of Care Givers (FPACG) conference, which was co-sponsored this year by DCA, was inspirational from the start. After a welcome and invocation by CNA/HHA Rita Andrews and CNA/HHA Nancy Strebel, the Air Force junior ROTC from Lake Brantley High School presented the colors. What a thing that was to witness! Next on the agenda was the presentation of awards by FPACG President Emeritus and Director of Education Terry Bucher to FPACG’s Career Care Giver of the Year and its two Care Givers of the Year. This was the first time in the history of the association that the award was given to two people in one year. Continue reading »

Wisconsin Honors Exceptional Direct Care Workers and Employers

Posted by on October 4th, 2011 at 8:23 am | 1 Comment »

Tracy Dudzinski

Every year here in Wisconsin we honor four direct care workers, one supervisor of direct care workers, and one administrator in long term care. I was honored to present the awards last week to my fellow direct care workers.

I got to visit with most of the winners before the presentation, which was at a luncheon at the Wisconsin Personal Services Association conference. Vivian Havens has been a direct care worker for 45 years, 25 of which have been for her current employer. She is 80 years old. I call that dedication. Continue reading »

Care, Commitment and Coffee with Muhanna S. Kakish of Minnesota

Posted by on July 12th, 2011 at 7:04 pm | No Comments »

At the 2011 Voices Institute Leadership Training, DCA communications director, Josh Sabato sat down to speak with direct care worker, Muhanna S. Kakish to discuss the most pressing issues facing direct care workers and how other activists can get involved in direct care advocacy in Minnesota.  DCA Speaks with Muhanna S. Kakish at 2011 Voices Institute Training.

Care, Commitment and Coffee with Jimmie Chandler of Maine!

Posted by on June 20th, 2011 at 4:45 pm | No Comments »

At the 2011 Voices Institute Leadership Training, DCA communications director, Josh Sabato sat down to speak with direct care worker, Jimmie Chandler to discuss the most pressing issues facing direct care workers and how other activists can get involved in direct care advocacy in Maine.  DCA Speaks with Jimmie Chandler at 2011 Voices Institute Training.

The National Voices Institute Experience – Part III

Posted by on May 16th, 2011 at 4:24 pm | 2 Comments »

Joan Leah

Join Florida CNA Joan Leah on her journey to this year’s Voices Institute Training

My colleagues and I just completed the 2011 Voices Institute Leadership Training Program! It was a very intense, yet rewarding learning experience and I am honored to have graduated with some of the finest people I have ever met.

The investment that has been made by the DCA in this 2011 class is significant and it is now our responsibility to take the next steps to ensure our collective voices are being heard across the country.  I have been armed with the tools necessary to advocate for the desperately needed changes to our long term care system, and I am fully focused on stepping up to the challenge of helping to create a more stable direct care workforce throughout Florida.

Continue reading »

2011 DCA Voices Institute Training a Smashing Success!

Posted by on May 16th, 2011 at 4:23 pm | 1 Comment »

Tracy Dudzinski

This letter was contributed by DCA Board Chair, Tracy Dudzinski.

Another VI class has come and gone and what a week it was!  First off, I would like to thank all the workers who took the time to come to Wisconsin and develop their leadership skills.  It was a wonderfully diverse group filled with the talented and inspiring people our movement needs to be successful in the coming weeks, months and years.

The 2011 Voices Institute was a full circle moment for me.  I attended in 2008 as a worker and was privileged to come back this year and have the opportunity to expand my leadership skills as a facilitator.  When I arrived on Saturday and walked in the front door of Taylor Hall the memories overtook me.  It was like I was back in 2008 arriving as a student and I couldn’t wait to get started!  It was an exciting week and I enjoyed watching the new class find their voice.  Although some of our attendees were quiet at the beginning of our training, by the end of the week they blossomed like the magnolia tree in the garden, turning into the leaders who will expand this movement in all corners of the country.

Continue reading »

Humble Heroes: Caring and Supporting Beyond the Care Plan

Posted by on March 21st, 2011 at 3:21 pm | No Comments »

Leonila Vega

Meeting with direct care workers whether they work in nursing homes, assisted living or providing care and supports to elders and people living with disabilities in their homes, is both humbling and profoundly inspiring.  The stories I hear or moments I witness are examples of exemplary heroism and personal sacrifice.  These are the kind of stories that refuel your faith in people today, that there are those who – without regard to money, comfort or even means – will take extraordinary steps to help others in need,  whether they be families members or not.  Forty-two personal care assistants received PCA of the Year Award and nine others received outstanding PCA awards.

Recently, I met such humble heroes at the 2011 In-Home Care Workers Have Heart Conference in Oklahoma.   These “humble heroes” possess the qualities I want in a person caring for me, when I need home care as I know some day I will.  I am certain you too want this very type of home care worker to be there for you.   Read more and see for yourself what it means to receive good care, care beyond the plan of care, those essential documents put together by nurses, doctors and others to ensure elders and people living with disabilities have the care they need:

Continue reading »

Maine Bill Seeks to Improve Direct Care Jobs

Posted by on March 14th, 2011 at 8:41 pm | 2 Comments »
This is a guest post from Tammy Dawson, a Direct Support Professional from Bangor, Maine, a member of DCA – Maine.

If you are a Direct Care Worker in the State of Maine, odds are you are not aware of all of the opportunities available to you.  A bill sponsored by Matthew Peterson and heartily encouraged by our own Helen Hanson and Roy Gedat would change that!

LD 818: A resolve that directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor to develop and to provide information about professional and career development, training and related credentialing and certification to all professional direct care and personal support workers.

Why Did I Get Credentialed? Respect, Opportunities & Professionalism!

Posted by on February 22nd, 2011 at 12:14 pm | No Comments »

Jimmie Chandler, Gov. Baldacci and Ted Rippy

As one of the first direct care workers in the country to become a Credentialed Personal Care & Support Professional, I am thrilled to be part of the movement to improve the quality of care and strengthen the direct care workforce. I’ve been a direct care worker for more than 22 years, and it is discouraging to not get recognition for how much work goes into the job. So many of us come into this field without knowing how many skills and talents it takes to provide the services our consumers need; we are required to develop a deep knowledge of personal assistance work right away, and over the years that knowledge grows tremendously.

The DCA Personal Care and Support Credential recognizes me as a competent, experienced personal assistance worker. The credential is nationally recognized and I can take it with me wherever I go. It was a challenging but logical exam; as I took it, I was able to think back on all of the work I’ve done with my consumer over the years and apply that to the exam. It really did test for the competencies we need to do our jobs well; I felt like the exam was written for me. Continue reading »

New Scholarship Opportunity for Vermont Caregivers

Posted by on February 15th, 2010 at 12:45 am | No Comments »

A scholarship for caregivers will be awarded this spring to a professional caregiver for seniors or adults with disabilities in Vermont. The first annual Linda Andersen Caregiver Scholarship, named in honor of a long-time caregiver who passed away suddenly last year, is being presented by Armistead Caregiver Services in conjunction with the Community of Vermont Elders (COVE).

“We want to honor Linda’s dedication to seniors, her teammates and Armistead with this $1,000 scholarship. We also want to honor caregiving as a career by making access to education and training a little easier,” says Rachel Lee Cummings, President of Armistead. COVE will administer the scholarship, collecting and reviewing applications and making the award decision.

Applicants must have at least two years of caregiving experience, be at least 18 years old, and be a legal resident of Vermont. The winner must apply the money toward education or training related to the caregiver field, such as conflict management, gerontology, psychology, nursing, or medical school.

The scholarship will be awarded in April.

Read more and download the application (PDF)

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