Home Caregiver Recognitions
Our Case Managers meet to choose a Caregiver for Angel of the Month. A Case Manager will generally nominate someone with an explanation as to why this person is chosen. The Caregiver is notified that they have been selected and comes into the office for a full celebration. This person is honored with treats, a certificate, gift card and the Case Manager that selected them will read a full write-up about why they were chosen. The Caregiver is interviewed and then featured in the monthly newsletter as well as on Facebook. Visiting Angels Newton/Canton has the most amazing team of people to care for our Clients. Our Caregivers work tirelessly with their Case Managers to ensure top-quality care.
Angel of the Month
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Marie Ketsia Daille
March 2024
Marie Ketsia Daille, come on down! You’ve been selected as our Angel of the Month for March 2024. With a knack for fostering long-standing relationships, Ketsia’s become an indispensable member of our caregiving team. Ever since she first joined us, Ketsia has developed a fondness for all of her clients, caring for them just like family members or friends she would have over to her house for dinner.“When I go to a client’s house, I try to put myself in their place,” Ketsia said. “I want to understand them through good communication and caring—and treat them well, of course!”
Ketsia had a short stint with Visiting Angels in 2008 but returned to us in March of 2020. We were thrilled she found her way back to us. To no one’s surprise, Ketsia picked up right where she left off, forging strong relationships with her clients and the office team. Ketsia has always been a caregiver. She continuously learns from seniors and appreciates them for the lives they’ve lived.
Case Manager Traci McCarthy praised Ketsia saying, “She’s an excellent caregiver who works on one of my most challenging cases, which requires a great deal of skill.” True to form, Ketsia has dedicated herself to her client, having been with her for almost two and a half years now.
Traci trusts Ketsia to take care of our client because she always approaches challenging situations with the right mindset.
“If you’ve been working with the client a while, then you can take the time to understand what’s making them upset,” Ketsia explained. “Sometimes you can just watch them and evaluate the situation. It could just be that the client is changing, and you have to just honor their wishes and give them their space. If the client gets upset or angry, I try to let them know some of the other
things we can do that day.”
For the past two years, Ketsia has also been caring for a husband and wife team. Her relationship with them is yet another testament to her ability to establish lasting relationships with her clients. Senior Case Manager Elizabeth Quagraine noted how uncommon it is for a caregiver to be with clients for as long as Ketsia has.
“Her clients couldn’t imagine anyone else coming to visit them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from clients and their family members that Ketsia never seems rattled and only ever wants to know what she can do to help. It’s no wonder that she’s been with her clients for as long as she has,” Elizabeth said.
Ketsia’s passion for helping others goes as far back as her childhood in Haiti, when her father was an administrator at a local hospital. At times, she would visit him at work, and what she saw at the hospital could be scary. She noticed that people could be healthy one second and in desperate need of help the next. Ultimately, though, it piqued her curiosity and inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare for herself as well. She graduated from the Bryman Institute in 1992 as a medical assistant and later received her Home Health Aide certificate from Jamaica
Plain Community Health Centers in 1995 but didn’t stop there.
Ketsia never stops learning. She recalled one of her first jobs as a medical assistant in the lab drawing a patient’s blood. “I would never come in saying, ‘Give me your left arm,’” Ketsia said. “Because they may not want me to put the needle in their left arm if that’s the one they use the most. So, I’d say, ‘Why don’t we take your right arm today?’ It helped teach me that each person is their own case and different from the next person you meet. With my clients I learn so much about their lives, what they’ve done and where they’ve been. It is important to listen as they
teach you a lot about themselves and about life.”
Ketsia’s dedication to her clients and their well-being shines through to this day. In the eyes of Julie McBain, Director of Client Services, Ketsia’s an experienced home health aide with a heart of gold. “She’s been consistently kind, caring, professional, and an absolute joy to have on our caregiving team,” Julie said.
Traci echoed Julie’s sentiments, saying, “Ketsia is such a reliable and responsive caregiver. She’s a valuable member of our team, and we’re truly lucky to have her working with us and our
clients.”
Ketsia, in turn, appreciates the openness and responsiveness that comes with working for Visiting Angels Newton/Canton. She loves that if she calls any day or any time, there’s someone answering the phone. She also had high praise for the communication between the case managers and caregivers. “The case managers always prepare you before you go to the clients. The other agencies I’ve worked for don’t always do that,” Ketsia explained.
At Visiting Angels Newton/Canton, we consider ourselves fortunate to have Ketsia working with our clients. Her kindness and compassion toward our clients are reflective of everything we expect of our caregivers and more, which is why she’s so deserving of this award. We have no doubt Ketsia will continue to touch the hearts of our clients for years to come. And she will, of course, continue to learn from each and every one of them. Congratulations, Ketsia! We appreciate your devotion to our clients and are honored to award you Angel of the Month for March 2024
Marie Ketsia Daille - AOM March 2024.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Marie Ketsia Daille
March 2024
Marie Ketsia Daille - AOM March 2024.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Maliza
February 2024
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Ruth Ellis
January 2024
Ruth Ellis AOM January 2024.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Andell Sylvester
October 2023
Andell Sylvester AOM November 2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Dawna Nogueira
September 2023
Dawna-Nogueira-AOM-September-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Kettly Aurelus
August 2023
Kettly-Aurelus-AOM-August-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Eileen Duggan
July 2023
Eileen-Duggan-AOM-July-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Pat Durrant-Campbell
June 2023
Pat-Durrant-Campbell-AOM-June-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Sheila Small
May 2023
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Sandy Souza
April 2023
Sandy-Souza-AOM-April-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Glorieuse Antoine
March 2023
Glorieuse-Antoine-AOM-March-2023
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Leonie Benson
February 2023
Leonie-Benson-AOM-February-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Raxanne Wright
January 2023
Raxanne-Wright-AOM-January-2023.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Karen Breen
December 2022
Karen-Breen-AOM-December-2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Nadya Harriet
November 2022
Nadya-Harriet-AOM-November-2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Betie Mondestin
October 2022
Betie-Mondestin-AOM-October-2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Marie Bellefleur-Raymond
September 2022
MarieBellefleur-Raymond_AOM_September2022
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Paul Geneus
July 2022
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Nosa Ogbebor
June 2022
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Kettlie Juste
May 2022
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Williams Ejimonyeabala
April 2022
newton-WilliamsEjimonyeabala_AOM_APRIL2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Rody Fils-Aime
March 2022
newton-RodyFils-Aime_AOM_MARCH2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH | Mirla Joseph
January 2022
newton-MirlaJoseph_AOM_JANUARY2022.pdf
ANGEL OF THE MONTH 2021 Awardees
ANGEL OF THE MONTH 2020 Awardees
ANGEL OF THE MONTH 2019 Awardees
ANGEL OF THE MONTH 2018 Awardees
Special Recognitions
Timeless Gratitude to Alice Kimani
No, this is not a new award we’re giving, but a special commendation to Alice Kimani, who gave live-in care to one of our clients. One night in November 2016, she was awakened by the smell of smoke. There was a fire in the garage, which quickly spread to the rest of the house - but not before Alice successfully evacuated the senior whom she was caring for, as well as the adult son. The house was burned to the ground, fed by a full tank of heating oil. Two cars in the driveway, one of them Alice’s, were melted. But thanks to Alice’s heroism, nobody was injured, except for the senior’s pet cat, which unfortunately perished. Alice, we think that you are wonderful!
Tama Lewis – Massachusetts Home Care Alliance 2009 Aide of the Year
The HCA has 150 member agencies employing over 19,000 home health aides, and one of our very own was chosen as the 2009 Home Care Star Award Aide of the Year. Tama embodies the essence of what every family wants in a home care aide: skill, good judgment, compassion, integrity, kindness, reliability, good humor, caring, wisdom, dedication, warmth and respect in dealing with seniors. She has been with Visiting Angels for five years, but like all our caregivers, she came to us with years of experience in giving care to seniors.
For four years she was the lead caregiver to a man named Joe, who had no family or friends to help in his declining years. Although he had Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, with Tama's care he was able to remain at home, where he wanted to be. When she came on the case, his health was declining rapidly despite ongoing medical attention. Soon Joe's deteriorating health began to improve as Tama made sure that he got a healthy diet and took his medications. His home got cleaner, and his appearance improved. Eventually Tama was joined by other caregivers, but she remained the lead person of the team that organized his life, did the shopping, got him to medical appointments, cleaned his house, prepared meals and kept him clean. With help from Tama and the rest of our team, Joe attended his Masons meetings, continued his treasured Saturday evening buffet at the Marriott, and visited places where he had spent his youth. When he developed pancreatic cancer, he died at home with Tama by his side. She was the closest thing to family that he had.
At Visiting Angels of Newton & Canton, we are proud of our reputation with our many referral sources and clients who note the excellence of our services and the quality of the people that we employ. That reputation rests on providing home care with men and women like Tama Lewis since 2004. As deserving as she is of the award, Visiting Angels has many other caregivers who are just as dedicated, give just as much of themselves, and who deserve their own awards. We salute Tama and all of the fine caregivers who work for us and allow seniors the joy of remaining at home where they want to be.
Visiting Angels Newton/Canton is an award-winning accredited home care agency that provides elder care services in Brookline, Newton, Needham, Brookline, Chestnut Hill, Canton, Westwood, Dedham, Watertown, Natick, Wellesley, Stoughton, Roslindale, Norwood and nearby areas. If you aspire to be the best caregiver you can be, contact us at 617-795-2727 or fill out the form on our home care careers page.
If you are looking for the best home care services in the Newton/Canton area, contact us at 617-795-2727 or click the button below to tell us about your case. We're ready to help you!
Serving Brookline, Canton, Dedham, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Stoughton, Watertown, Wellesley and Westwood
Visiting Angels NEWTON/CANTON, MA
29 Crafts St #320Newton, MA 02458
Phone: 617-795-2727
Fax: 617-244-0260