The People of Spectrum Generations
November, 2008Barbara - Winner of the Award for Excellence in Long Term Care |
Barbara St. Clair Receives Award for Excellence in long Term Care at the Governor’s Mansion
On Thursday, September 24th, Barbara St. Clair was 1 of 14 workers in the state to receive recognition by the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program. She was given the prestigious Excellence in Long Term Care Award at the Blaine House at a Tea to honor the outstanding Direct Care Workers selected. In attendance were the other recipients and supervisors, the Award Panel members from various Agencies throughout the State, several State Senators, and The Honorable Beth Edmonds, Speaker of the Maine Senate, pictured with Barbara.
Barbara was selected from the following nomination letter written by Kristin Overton, her Supervisor:
Barbara St. Clair has provided heartfelt and sincere services to her consumers for eight years. Barbara is committed to her consumer and their right to live a full, happy & dignified life. She commonly advocates for her consumers needs. She has been at our community centers finding donations for dog food when her consumers cannot afford to feed their dog, on the phone with her supervisor looking for public benefit assistance when a consumer cannot afford to heat more than 1 room of their home, and she has found donations for chux pads and incontinent care products when her consumers insurance will only cover a limited supply. She advocates so that holes in her consumers floors are fixed, pants ruined due to many washings are replaced, and favorite meals are made. She always makes sure that her consumers’ needs are met.
Barbara will adjust her schedule for any day in order to see the most people. She accepts additions and changes to her schedule when other PSS’s call out – even if it’s just to stop in and give a consumer a quick bath or meal when they’d otherwise have none. Her consumers always want her back and are upset when she can’t fit in everyone who wants to see her. Since we don’t allow overtime, her schedule is so full with people who only want Barbara that if she gets stuck at a red light for too long, she’s in overtime!
Barbara is so committed to her consumers that she willingly works EVERY holiday. Last year was the first year in eight years that she had no consumers on Christmas or Thanksgiving – and it was only because her consumers told her not to come that day – they told her she deserved a day off! Barbara has not once complained about the travel required to visit even the most remote of her consumers – even when other PCA’s are changing their location availability due to the rising gas prices.
Barbara is very deserving of this award – she embodies all that a PSS could be and more. Without Barbara, her consumers’ lives would be a little darker – she adds much needed brightness to a very underprivileged community.
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