National Center For Assisted Living Announces 2006 Award Winners

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 Ch?teau 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 Ch?teau 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.


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