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Caregivers / Homecare News
Article Date: 24 Sep 2006 - 0:00am (PDT)
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The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)
announces the recipients of the 2006 NCAL Noble
Caregiver in Assisted Living and two brand new
awards established by NCAL-Administrator of the Year
and National Assisted Living Week Programming Award.
Noble Caregiver in Assisted Living: Donna Walker, a
caregiver at Château des Mons Assisted Living,
Englewood, Colo., is the 2006 recipient of this
award. The award recognizes Walker for her
contributions that led to improved quality of life
for the residents and created a better work
environment for the assisted living community's
staff. “ Walker is the first staff member to arrive
and the last to leave. Every morning, she can be
found making eggs to order for breakfast, playing
bingo, or baking banana bread,” says Château des
Mons Resident Services Director Linda Plante. Walker
is known as a mentor to other employees, handling
difficult situations with grace and ease, and being
a leader in the facility's workforce.
Administrator of the Year Award: Janette Nixon,
administrator of The Meadows, Norfolk, Neb., is the
inaugural recipient of this new NCAL award
recognizing an administrator for their outstanding
innovation, achievement, and capabilities in
providing resident-centered care. Nixon has been
administrator for more than 17 years and motivates
staff to do their best in everything they do. When
she implemented the Fish philosophy, the fun-filled
management paradigm started by owners of Seattle's
Pike Place Fish market, she implemented the kick ?
off activities and held fundraisers to send two
employees to Seattle for the training. Nixon's love
and respect for the residents and staff is well
recognized whether she is making a homemade
blueberry pie, leading a memorial service for a
resident, sitting with a resident in the emergency
room during the middle of the night, or counseling
employees.
National Assisted Living Week Programming Award: The
Village at Regional West in Scottsbluff, Neb., is
the first community to be recognized under NCAL's
new award for outstanding programming that
successfully integrated residents, staff, relatives,
volunteers, and the community into its 2005 National
Assisted Living Week celebration using last year's
theme “A Fair To Remember.” Some of the activities
during the week long event included a potluck dinner
with “Flower the Clown” under the “Big Top”- the
residence dining hall; a Penny Carnival with the
sixth grade class from a local school; an outing to
the Assisted Living Olympics; a screening of the
classic movie “State Fair”; and a visit to the
Harvest Festival at the Farm & Ranch Museum.
The American Health Care Association and the
National Center For Assisted Living are the nation's
leading long term care organizations. AHCA/NCAL and
their membership are committed to performance
excellence and Quality First, a covenant for
healthy, affordable and ethical long term care. AHCA/NCAL
represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary
facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in
the delivery of professional and compassionate care
provided daily by millions of caring employees to
more than 1.5 million of our nation's frail, elderly
and disabled citizens who live in nursing
facilities, assisted living residences, subacute
centers and homes for persons with mental
retardation and developmental disabilities.
www.ahca.org
