Angel of the Month: Continuing the tradition
Former Visiting Angels Newton/Canton owners, Barney and Eileen Freiberg-Dale, enacted the custom of celebrating an outstanding home caregiver each month for their professionalism, compassion, and commitment to our clients. Barney was known to show up at clients’ homes during a Visiting Angels shift and surprise a caregiver with an angel pin, hugs, and praise for their hard work and dedication. This ritual developed into a more formal process in which the office staff nominates a caregiver each month to be given the “Angel of the Month” (AOM) award.
We have been celebrating and highlighting exceptional caregivers for over ten years. Visitors to our office will see the “Angel of the Month” board with individual photos of each Angel we have honored for the past 12 months in our reception area.
Historically, the AOM festivities are held at our office, where the staff gathers with the honoree to celebrate their accomplishments. The case manager who has worked closely with the caregiver will share the honoree’s professional history – including a list of all the clients they have served, a bit about their personal life, and what advice they have for other homecare professionals. That month’s Angel is presented with a certificate, a copy of the official personal AOM write-up, and a congratulatory gift. Their photo is then added to our Angel of the Month board.
Although the pandemic and quarantine have kept our team socially distant, we have been determined to continue our time-honored custom of recognizing one outstanding Angel every month. For the past five months, we have adapted our process and taken to Zoom to continue our tradition! We come together to celebrate all that our Angel has accomplished with our client(s) and applaud their achievements. Through our camera lenses, we share virtual hearts and hugs and sometimes get the opportunity to meet family members of our caregivers. If we’re lucky, an adorable child or pet will appear!
Our caregivers are the pulse of our agency. Many have been with us for several years and have continued to provide supportive feedback, which has contributed to our earning the Leader in Excellence award by Home Care Pulse, an independent research firm, and the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work.
We are looking forward to the time we can celebrate Angel of the Month again with real hugs soon. Go to https://www.visitingangels.com/newton/newton-ma-caregiver-of-the-month to see all the caregivers honored so far this year.
About Visiting Angels Newton/Canton:
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton MA is an award-winning local home care agency providing high caliber in-home care services to the elderly and people with disabilities. Countless families have benefited from our in-home dementia care, Alzheimer’s care, 24 hour and live-in care, companion care, senior care, respite care, transitional aid, and in-home care services in Stoughton, Canton, Dedham, Needham, Westwood, Norwood, Brookline, Watertown, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Chestnut Hill, Roslindale, and nearby towns. While essential personal in nature, the care provided by Visiting Angels Newton/Canton can make a significant impact on your loved one’s happiness and quality of life.