Homewatch CareGivers Recognizes

• Family Caregiver of the Year Award
  

   

  Thank you for recognizing the true unsung heroes of caregiving, online nominations for the 2011 Family Caregiver of the Year Award are now closed. Paper nomination forms may still be excepted at your local Homewatch CareGivers office. Please contact your local office for a hard copy nomination form (see office locator to the left).

How Does the Selection Process Work?

 

The applications will be read by a panel at the local level, and local winners will be announced in early September and will qualify for the national prize. The National winner will be announced at the end of October, and will be selected by a panel of representatives from the health care industry, including AARP, Alzheimer's Association, and caring.com and the American Association of Long Term Care Insurance. Read more about the National selection panel here and contact your local Homewatch CareGivers office to learn more about the local Family Caregiver of the Year selection process. 

 

Who is the Family Caregiver?

 

Many families and individuals are caregivers to a loved-one who is afflicted with an illness, injury - or most commonly - an elder. These caregivers can be the daughters, sons, parents, spouse, siblings, other relatives, or even a friend of the person in need of assistance. They frequently make great personal sacrifices to provide care for their loved ones, sometimes to the detriment of their own health and well being. Often, the family caregivers are the ones relied upon to provide care when they are at home. In fact, according to the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), the service provided by family caregivers represents 80% of all home care services. Due to the humility of many of these dedicated individuals, the everyday efforts of family caregivers are sometimes unrecognized and under-appreciated. 

 

Click here to read more about the history of the National Family Caregiver of the Year award, and read about the 2010 award recipient.

 

How are the winners be recognized?

 

Homewatch CareGivers, the largest, most experienced international provider of full-service in-home care, is honored to recognize the care, compassion, and sacrifice of these family caregivers at both the local and national level.

 

Local winners are awarded a scholarship to Homewatch CareGivers University and a day off while their local Homewatch CareGivers provides eight hours of respite care at no charge. Local winners qualify for the National Grand Prize of $10,000.

 

 

About Homewatch CareGivers University

 

Homewatch CareGivers University will give an educational foundation, and the necessary skill set and confidence to help winners continue this very important labor of love. We believe that educated caregivers bring pride and confidence to their job. Homewatch CareGivers University is a professionally developed caregiver training platform designed to train caregiver employees, family members providing care and the greater community. It’s a one-stop training solution for all caregivers.

 

How does the nomination process work?

 

The National Family Caregiver of the Year Award nomination entries will be judged based on the magnitude of care and support provided to an individual, personal obstacles that were overcome in order to provide this care, health care industry obstacles faced on behalf of the individual receiving care, and the impact this care ultimately had on the individual.

 

Every National Family Caregiver of the Year Award nomination must be submitted by a third party Nominator. We recommend you attach a nomination letter with the application of 500 words or fewer.

 

We must be able to verify the individual for which the nominee provided care. The nominee must have provided care for this individual within the 12 months prior to July 29, 2011. Nominations must be received by July 29, 2011. Winners will be selected by a qualified panel of care experts; selection by the panel is final. Local winners will be announced September 1, 2011. Local winners qualify for the National Family Caregiver of the Year Award $10,000 Grand Prize, to be notified on October 25, 2011. Winning nominations should be prepared for possible interviews and media appearances.

 

Homewatch CareGivers will provide a donation of $5 to National Family Caregiver Association (not to exceed $5,000) for every valid, complete, unique nomination submitted via the web nomination form. Completed paper applications are not eligible for a donation. Homewatch CareGivers has the right to decide the validity and completeness of the application on a case by case basis.