• Ontario
• Greater Toronto Area
• Durham
• Whitby

Heroes in the Home Recognition

Whitby caregivers honoured for outstanding dedication and commitment

Nominees at the Heroes in the Home Recognition event in Whitby.

Whitby, ON Nov. 28, 2016 – Fifty-two residents in the Whitby area were celebrated as Heroes in the Home at a reception held in their honour to recognize and acknowledge their outstanding care and support provided to help someone live a fulfilling life.

The Bowmanville Older Adult Association Volunteer Kitchen Team

The Central East Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) hosts the Heroes in the Home Caregiver Recognition event each year. In the Whitby area, heartwarming stories were shared by the nominators, including that of Dora Ewen. Dora was nominated by Amanda Sibbick, co-worker with the Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Network (GAIN) Community Team at Taunton Mills, for the exemplary care she gives to each and every one of her patients.

Nominator, Susan Gilson and nominee, Debby Zinger

Amanda said Dora makes patients feel valued when they are in their most vulnerable state, whether she is having a dance party with a patient who just wants to dance, or putting on a tutu with a patient who dreamt of being a ballerina when she was younger.

Amanda said it is all the little extras that Dora does that make her very deserving of the Heroes in the Home nomination.

Nominee Dora Ewen with CEO Kathryn Ramsay

“Whether you are a volunteer, family member, neighbour or service provider, each time you reach out to help and support someone in need you make a difference. You make it possible for those you care for to live as full a life as possible. Each day we are presented with opportunities to do small things that can make a difference in someone’s life,” Kathryn Ramsay, Central East CCAC CEO said in her remarks to the attendees.

“Often, it is not the task you do, but your kindness, unselfish actions, dedication, a warm smile or laughter and your gentle touch that makes them feel safe and cared for.”

One hundred and thirty-one nominations were received for the 2016 Heroes in the Home Caregiver Recognition from across the Central East region. Recognition receptions, to celebrate the caregivers for their dedication and support of their loved one, are being held throughout November in five locations across the Central East region, Lindsay, Port Hope, Whitby, Peterborough and Scarborough.
The program acknowledges caregivers of all kinds - a family member, friend, community volunteer, personal support worker, care coordinator, nurse, therapist or other health care professional among others.

Nominees in the Whitby area included:
Ann Duke
Dora Ewen
Krystal Flammia
Charles Foster
Cheryl Gatchalian
Nicole Jeffery
Susan MacAndrew
Kirsten Mielke
Cynthia Mountford
Letty Pereira
Michelle Scott
Deborah Sheffield
Debby Zinger
The Bowmanville Older Adult Association Volunteer Kitchen Team

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Community Care Access Centres (CCACs) connect people across Ontario with quality in-home and community-based health care. The Central East CCAC provides information, direct access to qualified care providers and community-based services to help people, including the acute and chronically ill, come home from hospital or live independently at home. Ontario’s 14 CCACs serve a population of more than 616,000 Ontarians with their care needs in the community where they live, working to ensure clients receive the right care in the right place, at the right time.