Resident among 20 given Homecare Hero Award

MIDDLETOWN — Assisted Living Services congratulated 20 home caregivers recently by awarding each a $1,000 bonus for their efforts caring for Connecticut seniors during the coronavirus outbreak.

Starting in February, the family-owned home care agency retooled its unprecedented monthly $5,000 Platinum Caregiver Award as the Homecare Hero Award to recognize more outstanding employees, according to a press release.

“It was already incredibly difficult to choose just one staff member per month for our award program, and we wanted to give more caregivers the opportunity for a financial reward as they displayed incredible dedication to our clients from the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mario D’Aquila, COO of ALS, said in a prepared statement.

There are five monthly winners for February, March, April and May, who were chosen after clients were called at random by Homecare Pulse, a third-party survey company, to measure the Chester-based ALS customer satisfaction.

The client or family member was able to rate ALS services and the quality of care provided, the release said. Clients had the opportunity to mention caregivers that went “above and beyond” and “exceeded expectations” for the quality of care that was given to them or their loved one. ALS also considered caregivers for this award that had taken on additional cases and helped out the company during this time of need.

D’Aquila shared a couple reviews that illustrate these caregivers’ “unwavering” commitment to client care:

“My mother had anxiety and depression and was nervous about being alone. The caregiver saved our lives.”

“My mother worships the ground she [the caregiver] walks on. Previously, she wouldn’t let anyone come into her home.”

The award program resumes this month. In addition to the monetary bonus, honorees receive a crystal statue and certificate of merit.

For more than two decades, ALS has led the charge to raise the standards for quality of care across the board in the highly competitive home care industry.

The company gives tens of thousands of dollars each year to incentivize employees for superior performance or perfect attendance, according to the agency. Managers also receive incentives if quality assurance benchmarks are achieved.

Incentives and genuine appreciation for staff members are just a few of the reasons ALS has a high employee retention rate with some employees still working for the agency for nearly two decades, according to the company.

For information, visit assistedlivingct.com or call 203-634-8668.

Contributed photos Homecare agency Assisted Living Services recently gave out nearly a dozen Homecare Hero Awards to employees, including Savonna Bell of Middletown, right.

Home care agency Assisted Living Services recently presented one of 20 Homecare Hero Awards to outstanding employee Savonna Bell of Middletown for her “impeccable teamwork, exceptional skill set and positive compassion, especially during this difficult pandemic,” the organization said.