“She touches people’s lives everyday and makes a difference through her job that others may never have thought possible. We are so fortunate to have someone like Maria at our community and as a representative of the assisted living industry.”
Maria is a staff member at Silverado Senior Living. She received the 2007 Hero Award for extraordinary service to America’s seniors. Six extraordinary senior living professionals were presented with the 2007 ALFA Hero Awards at the ALFA 2007 Annual Conference and Expo in Dallas last month. The annual competition honors executive directors, staff members, caregivers and volunteers for their commitment to residents in their communities.
Maria Hernandez has been a housekeeper at Silverado Senior Living – Sugar Land since October 2004. During that time, Maria has done her job with pride and dedication. Our community serves residents affected by Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, so each and every person that works at our community has to be genuinely compassionate, understanding, and above all, patient. While most people may see these qualities as most important in a direct care giving role, Maria is an excellent example of why it is important that everyone caring for the elderly has these qualities. When Maria is working, she is not only efficient, but more importantly, she talks to the residents. She does not work around them; she converse with them and checks on their well-being. She pays attention to more than whether the bathroom is clean or the bed is made.
Maria notices if a resident is not feeling well or if a resident is spending more time in his/her room than usual. Then she reports it to the nurse so that the resident can receive the attention that he or she needs; or she may report it to the Activities Directory so that the resident can receive more encouragement to participate in activities of receive one-on-one visits.
Silverado’s operating philosophy incorporates pets and children into our living environment. Maria, a single mother, brings her daughter, Julissa, to work once she picks her up from school and in the summertime. Julissa has become a part of our care giving team. She visits residents like a grandchild would visit a grandparent. Sometimes when Maria has clocked out and is ready to go home, she waits for Julissa to finish a “project” she was been working on – instilling in her daughter the importance of completing tasks and living up to your commitments.
Maria is much more that just a housekeeper, and she has the courage and desire to better herself and her family. Currently, Maria is taking literacy classes and GED preparation courses three times per week. Maria was recently the subject of an article written to encourage others to maintain a positive approach and to achieve their goals. In this article, Maria stated, ”Taking literacy classes and getting my GED is helping me be a good coach for my daughter because I can help her with her school work and I can inspire her to reach for her own dreams.”
Maria has the potential to go far in life. In fact, she already has. She touches people’s lives everyday and makes a difference through her job that others may never have thought possible. We are so fortunate to have someone like Maria at our community and as a representative of the assisted living industry.