CHEER honors PASA employees
CHEER’s Personal Assistance Services Agency held its semiannual inservice training June 4 at the Warren L. and Charles C. Allen Jr. CHEER Community Center in Georgetown.
The evening’s focus was training direct care workers on the use of mobile cellphones to satisfy the federal mandate for electronic healthcare information for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. The telephones will be used for attendance and care records of all CHEER PASA customers. The workers were also recognized for their service and special care of customers during the last six months.
CHEER Chief Operating Officer Beckett Wheatley and Chief Administrative Officer Joyce Westen presented awards to employees who were selected as Employees of the Quarter for their dedication and service to their customers.
Employee of the Quarter for Winter 2018 was Eneicia Wescott of Georgetown. Although Wescott has only been with CHEER for six months, she has shown an eagerness to provide compassionate care to her customers. During the last weather emergency of the winter season in which severe flooding was forecast, a 101-year-old customer who is blind and lives alone with her cat in the flood zone had no one to stay with her through the storm to ensure her safety. Wescott readily agreed to spend the night at the customer’s home even though she knew there was a risk of being evacuated in the middle of the night. She went immediately to the customer’s home and kept in touch with the CHEER office about the weather conditions of the area and welfare of the customer.
A direct care worker’s kindness and good deed saved the life of a customer this spring. Recognized as the Employee of the Spring 2018 Quarter was Brenda Schaefer of Millsboro. She knew one of her customers loved a cup of hot coffee in the morning while reading the newspaper. Although she cared for him only a couple times a week, she drove by his home every day. One morning, Schaefer thought she would take a cup of coffee and a newspaper to the gentleman to brighten his morning, even though she was not scheduled to work with him. When she walked in to surprise her two-day-a-week customer she found him on the floor barely responsive. She called for immediate help. No one knows how long he had been on the floor, and it would have been several days before anyone was scheduled to see him again. Although the gentleman eventually passed away, Schaefer’s kindness gave the family time to gather and say their final farewells to their loved one. Schaefer has been working for CHEER for five years and has lovingly and successfully cared for many customers.
Another winter storm provided the criteria for an Honorable Mention Service Award. Receiving the distinction was Susan Head of Lewes, who services two priority classified customers. These customers must have service every day in order to ensure their safety. During the blizzard in January 2018, Head took it upon herself to move in with one of the customers prior to the storm, knowing that once it hit, she would not be able to travel to get there. This also placed her closer to her second priority customer, whose home was in walking distance of the first customer’s home. Head didn’t expect to be paid for the extended care hours; all she wanted was to know her customers were safe. For the past three years, she has displayed this type of compassion and dedication to CHEER PASA customers.
PASA Director Debbie Joseph also announced the recipients of awards for five-year service milestones. They are: 25 years – Bridgette Washington of Seaford; 15 years – Paulette Jones of Seaford; and 5 years – Mary Lou Ewell, Georgetown, and Lucinda Rogers, Laurel.
CHEER’s PASA program provides assistance to customers within their home to help maintain a healthy lifestyle and environment while preserving independence. For more information, call 302-854-9555.
