Maryann Greco is the 2015 AHCA/NCAL recipient of the Adult Volunteer of the Year award. Greco volunteers at the Allendale Community for Senior Living, Allendale, N.J.

Volunteers nominated for this award represent the crème de la crème of individuals who give freely of themselves for others. Yet Greco stands out among her peers even at this high level of volunteerism. Indeed, her recruitment of volunteers from the community is a great asset to the care center and, coupled with her intimate familiarity with residents, has already earned her accolades as a Volunteer Extraordinaire!

A hallmark of Greco’s three-year tenure at Allendale is her program called Growing Relationships and Making Memories, aka GRAMM. “GRAMM provides us with a steady flow of new volunteers,” said Activity Director Eucille Brown. “Through GRAMM, volunteers are assigned [to residents] to build relationships by sharing life stories, playing games, going for walks, just relaxing, or whatever it takes to bond,” she said.

For GRAMM to be effective, Greco coordinates closely with the care center and places ads in local newspapers for volunteers. She meets with prospective volunteers for an interview and then returns to Brown to discuss potential resident candidates and the best use of the volunteer’s talents.

The result has been extraordinary for the residents. “Maryann’s dedication to recruitment, training, and support for one-to-one visits has resulted in volunteers who are real advocates for Allendale residents,” said Administrator Kathy Manger.

When not in recruitment or training mode, Greco puts on a quintessential clown entertainment program, attends religious services, and is the busy bee of any social activities she attends. As one family member explained, “Maryann touches residents at many levels. It is an opportunity for residents to recall happy memories, experience pride in their accomplishments, and receive sympathy and understanding for their losses.”

So here’s a salute to Greco and her Merry Band of GRAMM volunteers.

 

 

Reilly Sasaki is the 2015 AHCA/NCAL recipient of the Young Adult Volunteer of the Year award. Sasaki volunteers at the Good Samaritan Society Village, Boise, Idaho.

In describing Sasaki, care center Administrator Brian Davidson said, “Whatever Reilly decides to do with his life, he will be a great success. Those that he serves will be greatly blessed.”

This sentiment is echoed by a group of 11 residents who cosigned a recommendation letter for Sasaki, saying, “It is not always easy to live in a nursing home, sometimes we feel alone, but Reilly always makes us feel loved and cared for.”

So what does he do to earn these accolades? Here’s a sampling: Dinner and Movie night, Tuesday Bingo, annual in-house fair, holiday decorating and parties, companion on visits to doctors’ offices, and a lot of one-on-one socializing.

Sasaki is a whirlwind of activity and recruits other students to volunteer at the care center. Speaking of school, at nearly a 4.0 GPA, he is in the top tier of students, and his goal is to be a medical doctor. He has completed two years of a rigorous college level sports medicine program that also requires a heavy commitment of extracurricular time.

How does he do it? Eagle High School counselor Lucas Younger explained that Sasaki “is very disciplined and has a great ability to manage multiple tasks to find great success.”

As the residents said in recommending Sasaki, “He is a true example of what a volunteer in a long term care facility should be.” And AHCA/NCAL wholeheartedly agrees.

 

 

 

With more than 25 years of experience in long term care, Beth Jarrell has set the standard for exemplary leadership. For the past 16 years, she has been executive director of Heritage at Dover Assisted Living, Genesis HealthCare, in Dover, Del., where she has created an environment of person-centered care, advocacy, and community involvement.

“She looks to changing systems rather than changing the resident and looks beyond the profession for resources that enhance individualized service,” said Vickie Cox, regional vice president of Genesis HealthCare, who nominated Jarrell for the award.

Jarrell introduced family-style dining to help better forge connections between staff and residents with dementia. Residents also maintain a vegetable garden and often supply home-grown ingredients for their meals.

A tireless advocate for the elderly, Jarrell has hosted local legislators at the community, so residents can meet with their elected officials.

Her commitment as a leader in the profession is evident by her participation on NCAL committees, her initiation of a group for marketing and admissions professionals, and her service as a mentor for new assisted living executive directors. Jarrell serves as an NCAL State Leader and on the NCAL Customer Relations Committee.

Jarrell has provided countless opportunities for residents to become involved within their local community. Heritage at Dover has many intergenerational programs, including a collaboration with the local art league and area youth to include artwork throughout the community. Additionally, the community hosts children’s dance classes and theater groups.

Residents also give back to the larger Dover community, such as making scarves for the local homeless shelter, holding food and book drives, providing Valentine’s Day gifts to survivors of domestic abuse, and hosting a fundraiser to benefit the music program at a local school.

Due to her leadership, Heritage at Dover Assisted Living enjoys impressive customer satisfaction and staff retention rates. In 2014, every single resident said they would recommend the community to others, and 75 percent of admissions to Heritage at Dover are due to word of mouth. “It is a testament to her ability to understand and engage her staff, residents, and family members,” said Cox.

The community is a Bronze level recipient of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award program, and Jarrell is actively leading her team to apply for the next level, Silver.

The NCAL Administrator of the Year award recognizes an assisted living administrator who demonstrates outstanding innovation, achievement, and capabilities.

 

 

The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA), Post 9, is the 2015 AHCA/NCAL Group Volunteer of the Year. The group volunteers at the Maine Veterans Home, Machias, Maine.

ALA members, often in full uniform, often blanket the Veterans Home with arts and crafts sessions, a cooking club, social events like Bingo, homemade goodies, military-style ceremonies, and dance parties. Oh, and they self-recruit and screen volunteers who want to make a regular commitment to the care center or just want to help once in a while.

These volunteers have a unique understanding of the sacrifices made by veterans and the challenges they’ve faced in conflicts across the globe. ALA is a perfect fit for the care center’s mission of “Caring for those who served.”

Resident family member Rhoda Hodgdon calls ALA’s contribution to life at the care center “immense,” and Stephanie Lavigne, RN, resident care director, sees the group’s commitment as “hard to parallel. They give so much to the people we care for and about.”

It seems everybody in the nomination process mentioned the monthly birthday party and dance. ALA members dance to the music old soldiers and sailors remember, making them feel like they’ve been transported back in time to enjoy the Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, and other greats. Yet providers are aware that having fun in a care center takes work and planning, and ALA members handle those chores, too. Administrator Marcia Jackson, RN, said the group is creative and provides supervision during activities. “ALA members exemplify volunteerism and encourage community engagement with our veterans,” she said.

A time-honored event ALA is particularly adept at is participation in the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. The community comes together to celebrate the lives of veterans who passed during the year with poems and special recollections and reflections.

 

 

 

In Carlsbad, if the local bank is happy, peace reigns. “The clients of CARC Inc. perform landscaping services for the bank under the direction of a coordinating supervisor, always performing in an above satisfactory manner,” said Executive Vice President of Carlsbad National Bank Chris Bird. Other supervised operations for the community include Rainbow Recycling, Document Destruction, running a country store, and landscaping.

And how about the pecan business? Yes, CARC Inc. has a large pecan farm run by clients. The harvest goes to the Pecos Valley Pecans processing plant, which also handles orders from across the United States for CARC pecans.

“The WSP identifies employment needs of the community and integrates its clients into that environment,” according to CARC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Schinnerer.

“It’s a stepping stone for individuals to develop good work habits and learn social skills. The next career step is to advance to the Supported Employment Program, which provides greater autonomy and earning potential for clients.”

CARC board President Carolyn Olson acknowledges the WSP’s value to the community and businesses, yet for her, “The best part of the program is seeing the satisfaction of the clients when they receive their paychecks. Words cannot explain the pride and self-worth they gain from their employment.”

This award highlights a specific not-for-profit program that benefits the public and local community.

 

 

Alicia Goatley of Riverside Lodge Retirement Community in Grand Island, Neb., is described as the epitome of what it means to be a caregiver—“dedicated, calm, caring, compassionate, and respectful.”

As one of the community’s certified nurse assistants, she is always willing to go the extra mile. Every day, residents tell Riverside Lodge’s Executive Director Deb Friend how they appreciate Goatley’s attention to detail when it comes to their care.

“I truly believe her best quality is the infectious smile on her face no matter the circumstance,” said Friend, who nominated Goatley for the award. “Her warm, gentle, and caring smile always lights up the room.”

The 14-year veteran does her part to keep things festive. Goatley consistently dresses up for holidays and encourages other staff to do the same. Every year, she puts on an Easter bunny costume and delights residents and their grandchildren during the community’s annual Easter egg hunt.

Always generous with her time, Goatley often takes residents shopping, even during her time off, to ensure that they have the everyday supplies and personal items they need. She is a trusted confidant to residents and staff and is often seen giving residents hugs and words of encouragement.

For these reasons, Goatley was given the role of team leader for patient care assistance staff. She serves as an inspiration to other employees.

“You can’t help but be a better person just by being around Alicia,” Friend said.

Her compassion reaches beyond her residents. Goatley recently shaved her head and donated her hair to Locks of Love to offer support to a young boy in her community struggling with cancer. She also organizes the staff’s charitable efforts around Christmas time and encourages them to donate blood at area American Red Cross blood drives.

According to Friend, Goatley is a shining example of how employees live out Riverside Lodge’s mission to care for residents as though they were the most loved member of their own family.

The NCAL Noble Caregiver in Assisted Living award recognizes frontline caregivers, housekeeping, and maintenance staff or staff from any other department who have improved the quality of life for residents and created a better work environment for staff.