Cynthia D., Personal Support Worker, is the recipient of the 2021-2022 Champion of the Year – one of the highest honours within Circle of Care’s employee recognition program, Champions of Care.
A Champion Leader for the Community
Personal Support Worker (PSW) Cynthia D. has been a leader in caring for others all her life. When she was younger, she became a hair stylist, ran a daycare business, and opened up her home to foster youth.
“I’m a multi-tasker, and with my previous experiences, I know how to lead and get things done efficiently and quickly,” she says.
Cynthia joined Circle of Care’s PSW team in 2002, hoping to give back to the community and support the older adult population. She has worked in a retirement home as a PSW through Circle of Care for many years, and has become an informal leader to the PSW population with Circle of Care.
“Most of the PSWs who have started with Circle of Care have been trained by Cynthia, who will share how she manages her time, ensuring all equipment is gathered before the work is started,” says Shirley, her supervisor. “She even offered to work weekends when staffing has been short during COVID-19.”
Community building is important to Cynthia, leading her to help her fellow PSWs as they start in their role. When she trains her colleagues, she provides the same advice that she gives to her kids.
“When you get up in the morning, remember to put olive oil on your skin (hypothetically speaking). Meaning, just let things that come at you slide off and never take anything personally,” says Cynthia. “There will always be challenges and stressful situations that come into your life. It’s how you manage them that’s really important.”
Bringing Happiness through Support
As a PSW, Cynthia has specific clients to which she is assigned to care for. But, she often goes above and beyond if she sees a person in need.
“Cynthia not only goes out of her way for her own clients but will care for all the clients in the home. She notices if someone has their shirt on inside out and will fix it for them or do up buttons,” says her supervisor. “She always stops to share a laugh with the clients and brings music in herself to play while caring for her clients.”
Her love and care for older adults stems from her love and care for her parents – who passed away when Cynthia was young.
“I have a soft spot for older adults because of this,” says Cynthia. “I like to see my clients happy, because it makes me happy. A role like this allows me to provide the kind of care to someone’s parents that I never had the opportunity to do for my own parents.”
The love and appreciation Cynthia gives her clients is often reciprocated back to her from her clients whenever she sees them.
“I feel so appreciated by them – especially when I come back from the holidays. They’ll always be so excited and say how much they missed me,” she says.
Celebrated for Being the Champion of the Year
In June 2022, Cynthia received the Champion of the Year Award through our Champions of Care program. This award is given to someone for embodying all of Circle of Care’s values in their work each day. Cynthia has demonstrated a high quality of care for her clients and colleagues, and has been a leader to many PSWs.
Our Champions of Care program is designed to recognize employees who go above and beyond their day-to-day duties, and who exemplify Circle of Care’s values. Nominations are collected each year from April 1 to March 31, and winners are announced each June. We welcome nominations by Circle of Care clients and family members on behalf of staff members that you interact with. If you would like to nominate a Circle of Care employee for an award, please fill out our nomination form: https://www.circleofcare.com/champions-of-care-nomination-form/
