Maria Mancinas - Leading Age Award Recipient

Caregiver, Maria Mancinas received a 2015 Leading Age Award for Excellence In Service. The award criteria required that the individual is in a non-management position, holds a frontline staff position and is seen to enhance the lives of residents or staff by the exceptional quality and passion of his or her work and through acts of kindness, giving and selfless care and support.

Following is Maria's nomination letter as submitted by the Oasis Assisted Living Manager.

Maria Mancinas is a rare and exemplary Caregiver. She consistently, without exception, goes above and beyond the call of duty. Maria is held in high regards by her peers. Her supervisors and most importantly by the residents she cares for on a daily basis.

To begin with, Maria is well liked and respected among her peers. Maria gets more nominations for service awards or recognition from her peers than anyone else. She is routinely credited for helping other people with their assignments, for carrying more than her fair share of the weight when we are short staffed, and for maintaining a positive attitude even on the most challenging of days. I have lost count of the number of times other caregivers have told me that they wouldn’t have made it through the day without Maria.

Secondly, our management team here at The Oasis simply treasures Maria. In addition to her unfailing spirit of teamwork and cooperation, Maria demonstrates a work ethic that is an example to us all. Lead Caregiver Kimberly Braden says about Maria, “I never have to worry about things getting done when I work with Maria. She is always on time and I never have to worry about her calling off. She always has the resident’s best interest at heart. If there is anything extra she can do for them, she does it.” Supervisor Valerie Lopes told me, “Maria is an outstanding worker and an outstanding person. There are times when I watch her calm an agitated resident down by talking to them – she is so kind. She works well with everyone. She goes beyond the call of duty and much more. She volunteers to work other shifts, even nights, when we need people. She’s a great team player.” I personally have witnessed Maria being calm and positive in the most trying of situations. She is a gift to both staff and residents here at The Oasis.

Finally, and in my opinion, the most important, Maria is loved and cherished by our resident population. I get positive reports or thank-you’s about Maria from residents and their family members at least weekly, sometimes more often. These are just a few of the comments I have received recently: resident (name withheld) says “Maria is always ready to help and is always kind.” Resident (name withheld) told me, “Maria is the most knowledgeable caregiver, and she is always so considerate.” Resident (name withheld) reports, “Maria is handy, a good caregiver and just a good person. It comes out in how she treats us.”

In summary, Maria Mancinas is the picture perfect example of what a caregiver should be. It is obvious every moment that she is with us that she has a heart for her work, and particularly the senior population. Maria’s actions speak to her character. She very much lives our mission statement, and I humbly request she be submitted for this award.