Since 2013, we have hosted the Golden Care Awards with the help of local sponsors. This event is an opportunity for caregivers in Wood County to be recognized for their dedication to caring for others. Caregivers are first nominated by friends, family or coworkers. Those nominations are given to the Wood County Commissioners, who read through each nomination and choose a winner from each of three categories: agency support staff, medical staff, and community caregivers.
This year's event was held on Thursday, November 7th at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, with 33 nominations in total (16 agency support staff, 10 medical staff, and 7 community caregivers). Bowling Green Mayor Dick Edwards was the MC for the evening, and all nominated caregivers in attendance were presented with a certificate by Wood County Commissioner Dr. Theodore Bowlus.
Event committee sponsors included: Bowling Green Care Center, Bowling Green Manor, Briar Hill Health Care Campus, Bridge Home Health and Hospice, Brookdale of Bowling Green, Kingston of Perrysburg, and Perrysburg Commons.
Other county-wide participating companies included: Bowling Green Family Physicians, Golden Care Partners, Heartland of Perrysburg, Heritage Corner Health Care Campus, Laurus Home Care, and Wood Haven Health Care.
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| COMMUNITY CAREGIVER WINNER Cheryl Kinder |
Cheryl's time as a caregiver began when she was 16 years old after her sister was involved in a car accident. Due to her injuries, Cheryl's sister required an immense amount of care so Cheryl stepped up to the plate and became her sister's primary caregiver for the next five years. Cheryl decided care giving was the work she needed to be doing and became a nursing assistant. Since then, Cheryl has remained a caregiver for her patients, her children and now her husband.
"This community caregiver goes above and beyond for the clients she serves. She delivers over 25 home delivered meals to clients throughout part of the county in a quick efficient manner Monday thru Friday; while still taking time to visit with her home bound clients and ensure their safety. But the reason she is being nominated for this award is because of the care she gives to her husband daily. Her husband receives home delivered meals, as well. He is frail and has a number of health issues. There are times when this caregiver may be up throughout the night comforting her husband as his disease progresses but still arrives to work in the morning with a smile and positive attitude. She schedules his appointments and if she can't get him there, due to work commitments, she ensures he has a ride with another family member. She has sat with him for numerous hours at the hospital after a fall or other health concern. She is his primary caregiver; she ensures his safety and well-being as he is fortunate enough to continue aging at home with his lovely wife by his side."
Thank you for all you do, Cheryl!
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Anna first spent time at Bridge Home Health & Hospice
with her grandmother who was suffering from pancreatic cancer. She always knew
that's what she wanted to do, with the ultimate goal to end up at Hospice.
"There's a little piece of my grandma in everyone I get to serve"
Anna said. She enjoys that she gets to go into people's homes. She feels that
she can get to know her clients and their families, and can give more
personalized care this way.
Anna's nomination is included here: "This medical staff member is the perfect candidate for the Golden Care Awards. She has been a hospice nurse with our company since 2015. She has exceeded our expectations for a hospice nurse since day one. She case managed in the Bowling Green area for the first couple years and has been a visit nurse in the area for the last 2 years. This individual has a great rapport with the facilities in the Wood County area from when she was a case manager; in fact, often when we have meetings with them, they tell us how much they miss her being the main provider coming in. They go on to explain that she has a presence about her that makes patients and families feel comforted. They know when she is visiting, that the patient and family will be looked at as a whole, and any and all needs will be addressed. Her follow-through is impeccable; if she is given a task or need, you know that she will take care of it as fast as possible. She is extremely flexible in her day, always willing to change her schedule to accommodate for a patient need, call, or visit. She is a great educator as well. She is able to teach patients and caregivers about their disease progression, medications, how to care for loved ones as they decline, and what to expect with their disease/dying process. If she doesn't know an answer to a question, she is not afraid to ask to make sure all questions do get answered. She communicates very well with her fellow co-workers, families, caregivers, and facilities to provide a holistic approach to patient care. I receive many compliments on her caregiving through obituaries, cards sent to our office, and our hospice surveys. Here are a few comments that I have received from families in the Wood County area about her care: "appreciative of the care and compassion, truly blessed to have her," "She was always there for every question, encouraged the family, guided us in every single step, compassionate, sensitive, skilled, loving, respectful, forever indebted." These are prime examples of how her interactions with patients touch their lives in such a positive way and it takes a special type a person to be able to accomplish that. She genuinely cares about each and every person that she interacts with and that shows in her work and reputation. I am not only proud that she is a part of our team, but also to nominate her for this award." Thank you for all you do, Anna! |
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| SUPPORT STAFF WINNER Sheila Sizemore - Briar Hill Health Care |
Sheila never expected to end up as a caregiver. When a friend told her Briar Hill was hiring, she figured it wouldn't hurt to try something new. She was nervous at first, but fell in love with caring for her residents and has since worked at Briar Hill for 18 years. She enjoys interacting with residents and their families, and because of those interactions, she learns to see her residents with a whole new perspective.
Sheila's nomination is included here:
Sheila's nomination is included here:
"One of the biggest testaments to a person's value is understanding how much of a loss it would be for that person to be gone. This support staff caregiver is an extremely valued member of our team and we cannot imagine not having her as part of our staff. Her value at our facility does not come from just how hard she works or how she is consistently on time and ready for her job. It comes from the ways she goes above and beyond for those that she cares for. She treats her residents as her family members and always has a smile on her face. It is not an easy job to be a caregiver, but she does it with optimism and respect for her resident family. She has been with our company for 18 years and STILL goes above and beyond! When times get hard for her residents, she is the first to be there. Whether it is sitting with someone and calming them down when they are missing a lost loved one or coming in on her day off to read out of the bible to a resident actively passing. She will notice someone has a tear in their pants and will take it home and sew it or stay after her shift to sew up a favorite shirt that was torn. She is constantly bringing in birthday gifts for her residents and celebrating with them and their families. She even has brought in special hypoallergenic soap for a resident when she noticed his skin was very sensitive. Only the family was aware as she didn't do it for the attention! Being at the facility for so long, many people become like her own family and when a resident was scared of dying, this staff member stayed with her and cradled her until her last breath. We are so lucky to have her and even more lucky that she has this opportunity to be recognized for all she does. It is the basic things that are so often overlooked: getting perfect attendance, always supporting her fellow caregivers without complaining, anticipating the needs of her residents by getting to know them well and demonstrating her care and compassion for the residents AND their families. Even for the families that have extremely high expectations for their care at our facility, this individual is celebrated and appreciated because she exceeds those expectations! She always takes the time to make sure that hearing aides are in, glasses are on, and hair is combed nicely. She even takes the time to notice if someone's clothes are stained and changes them so they are always presentable. These seemingly small and insignificant actions are what make family members love her and her attention to detail. Even when the resident themselves does not know whether they look nice or not the families certainly notice. As you can tell, we cannot say enough about her because we truly recognize how lucky we are to have her and we know how much she deserves this recognition and this award! She is exemplary and the gold standard for a facility caregiver because she is more than an employee at our building, she is a family member for every resident she cares for."
Nominees were pinned with a beautiful corsage as they entered the event.
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| Mayor Edwards speaking before dinner. |
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| Thank you to Jake Pilewski for entertaining us during the event! |
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| Brookdale Senior Living prepared a delicious meal! |
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| Delicious desserts provided by Perrysburg Commons and Bridge Home Health and Hospice . |
All of the attending caregivers were presented with a certificate and
had their picture taken with Commissioner Bowlus:
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| Community Caregiver Melinda Amos |
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| Community Caregiver Sue Glass |
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| Community Caregiver Mike Keller |
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| Community Caregiver Cheryl Kinder |
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| Community Caregiver Victor Reynolds |
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| Community Caregiver Jessica Sinning |
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| Community Caregiver LaDora Woods |
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Medical Professional Anna Anderson, Bridge Home Health & Hospice
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| Medical Professional Linda Davis, Heartland of Perrysburg |
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| Medical Professional Donna Heflin, Brookdale of Bowling Green |
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| Medical Professional Ryan Heney, Brookdale of Bowling Green |
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| Medical Professional Stacy Irvin, Brookdale of Bowling Green |
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| Medical Professional Danielle Oman, Bridge Home Health & Hospice |
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| Support Staff Member Cindy Below, Bridge Home Health & Hospice |
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| Support Staff Member Shannon Dawson, Brookdale of Bowling Green |
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| Support Staff Member Bettie Dean, Perrysburg Commons |
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| Support Staff Member Kris Jankowski, Perrysburg Commons |
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| Support Staff Member Pam Kominek, Wood Haven Health Care |
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| Support Staff Member Cherie Modlinski, Laurus Home Care |
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| Support Staff Member Cassandra Parrish, Heritage Corner Health Care Campus |
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| Support Staff Member Ester Polan, Bridge Home Health & Hospice |
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| Support Staff Member Sheila Sizemore, Briar Hill Health Campus |
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| Support Staff Member Valerie Wambo, Laurus Home Care |
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| Support Staff Member Linda Wilkins, Bridge Home Health and Hospice |
NOMINEES NOT PICTURED INCLUDE:
Medical Professionals:
Christine Matere, Anthony Onyekelu,
and Dr. Thomas Wojciechowski
Support Staff:
Noland Covington, Ron Gargasz, Ashley Gonyer,
Don Neifer, and Lynn Zachrich
THANK YOU
On behalf of the Wood County Committee on Aging, we would like to thank our
sponsors and supporters for making this event a success. This event is a wonderful opportunity to recognize caregivers in our County. Most importantly, THANK YOU to all of the caregivers who go above and beyond to make sure those they serve are receiving the
care they need to not only survive, but to thrive.
Your devotion does not go unnoticed.
GET INVOLVED
If you would like to be involved in this great event next year by purchasing a table for your company, or by making a nomination, please contact the Programs Department at
(419) 353-5661 or (800) 367-4935 or email programs@wccoa.net
