Nominations are open until 6:00 p.m. EST today, Friday, May 18th
Do you know a caregiver who listens carefully, instills hope, and shows extraordinary compassion for patients and families? Since 1999, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare has annually recognized caregivers who demonstrate these important skills. We are seeking nominees for the 2012 Compassionate Caregiver Award® from among professional caregivers throughout New England.
How does one embody compassionate care? Just ask Vilma Barrios, a certified nursing assistant at Hospice of the Good Shepherd in Newton, Mass., and last year’s award recipient. As an in-home hospice caregiver, Vilma provides compassionate care to her patients by giving them as much comfort and support as possible.
“For some, our time together may last only a few days. For others, it may stretch into months,” she says, “But no matter how long we are able to be together, I try to make our time as pleasant, pain-free, and happy as possible.”
If you know or have been touched by someone who embodies compassionate care, we encourage you to nominate that person for this prestigious award. Nominees must be paid caregivers who work in a New England healthcare organization and have direct patient contact. Nominations may be made by patients, family members, or healthcare professionals who work with the nominee. Nominees may include physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, psychologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nursing assistants, home health aides, and chaplains -- as well as interdisciplinary teams of caregivers.
The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize, and four finalists will receive $1,000 each. All five will be honored at the Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner on Thursday, November 8, at the Boston Convention Center before an audience of more than 2,000 healthcare professionals, patients, and family members.
The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare is a Boston nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the relationship between healthcare providers and patients and promoting compassionate, patient-centered, and family-centered care.
The center reflects the vision of Ken Schwartz, a Boston healthcare attorney who died of lung cancer at the age of 40. He said what mattered to him most was the compassionate care he received from his caregivers, which “made the unbearable bearable.” He founded the Schwartz Center in 1995 -- just days before his death -- to ensure that all patients receive compassionate care. Today, the center has programs in hundreds of healthcare institutions across the country.
More information on how to nominate a caregiver is available on the Schwartz Center Website. The nomination deadline is today, Friday, May 18.
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