April 7, 2011 |

ALFA’s awards spotlight compassion, creativity

At its annual Conference & Expo, the Assisted Living Federation of America spares no expense in honoring some of the hardest workers in senior living. During the Hero Awards luncheon, ALFA treats attendees to several high-quality cinematic vignettes documenting resident and staff appreciation of five award winners—ALFA’s “heroes.”

At this year’s show in Orlando, ALFA honored a variety of senior living professionals, from CNA to wellness director.

Take, for instance, Maribeth Shearer, a medication technician at Emeritus at Spicewood Springs, Austin, Texas.

There was also Sharon Stiles, executive director of the Brookdale Senior Living community Sterling House of Shelby in North Carolina.

Click the names of the three other ALFA Hero Award winners below for their videos.

● Toni Flowers, wellness director of Brandywine Assisted Living at Senior Suites, East Norriton, Pennsylvania

● Hervinder Dogra, caregiver at Vintage Simi Hills, Simi Hills, California

● Deb Ericksen, CNA at Heritage Woods of Centralia, Centralia, Illinois (video not available at time of publication)

A creative departure from its Hero Award videos, ALFA also sought the talents of filmmakers the world over to represent the damaging realities of ageism in a short film competition. The winning video, “Mind the Gap,” highlighted during one of the show’s general sessions, explores the unfortunate conclusions two members of distant generations harbor for one another while expressing their inherent similarities.

Click here to read more about the winning video and ALFA’s short film competition on ageism.

I Advance Senior Care

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