Compassionate caregivers in Wood County were honored Monday at The Golden Care Awards at the Wood County Senior Center. This event is designed to recognize National Caregivers Month in November and to honor caregivers within local communities and facilities.
Nominations were sent in from friends, family, and coworkers of caregivers who go above and beyond every day to care for those they serve. All nominees from three categories including agency support staff, medical professionals, and community caregivers were recognized at the event.
Each nomination was reviewed by the Bowling Green State University Gerontology Students, who selected one winner from each category.
The event, which was held at the Wood County Senior Center in Bowling Green, was presented by the Wood County Committee on Aging. Event committee sponsors were Bowling Green Manor, Briar Hill Health Care Campus, Bridge Home Health & Hospice, Manor at Perrysburg, Ohio Living, The Willows at Bowling Green, Waterford at Levis Commons, and Wood Haven Health Care.
The 2024 Golden Care winners are:
- In the medical professional category – Gwen Smaciarz, Kingston of Perrysburg
- In the support staff category – Lashonda Washington, Manor at Perrysburg
- In the community caregiver category – Joyce and Paul Mueller
Robert Shiels served as the master of ceremonies for this event and the Wood County Commissioners honored the winners with their signed certificates.
In the medical professional category, those honored were: Dr. Christian Jacobus, Bridge Home Health and Hospice; Brittany Kluczynski, Care360 Hospice; Caroline Kopp, Wood Haven Health Care; Lyn Lemon, VIP Therapy; Michelle Maciejewski, The Willows of Bowling Green; Jessica Naiber, The Waterford at Levis Commons; Lisa Patterson, Bridge Home Health and Hospice, Lori Polcyn, Bowling Green Manor/Manor at Perrysburg; Yvonne Shaheer, The Waterford at Levis Commons; Gwen Smaciarz, Kingston of Perrysburg; Todd Williams, The Willows of Bowling Green; Allison Wilson, Bridge Home Health and Hospice.
In the support staff category, those honored were: Leatha Borisenko, Wood Haven Health Care; Tammy Caldwell, Bowling Green Manor; Nikki Brooks, Wood County Committee on Aging; Sawyer Rader, Wood Haven Health Care; Samantha Schmitz, Kingston HealthCare of Perrysburg; Penny Soboleski, Wood Haven Health Care; Lashonda Washington Manor at Perrysburg; Kim Woda, The Waterford at Levis Commons.
In the community caregiver category, those honored were: Michael French, Raymond Hogle, Joyce and Paul Mueller, Gord Parent, Joyce Shelley, Carole Spitnale and Laurie Winter.
This year’s Golden Care Award ceremony can be viewed on WCCOA’s YouTube page by going to www.youtube.com and searching “Wood County Committee on Aging, Inc.”
Anyone wanting to be involved in this event next year by purchasing a table for a company, or by making a nomination, contact the WCCOA Programs Department at 419-353-5661 or 800-367-4935 or email programs@wccoa.net.
