CaraVita Home Care’s March 2020 Caregiver of the Month is George Umahoin! George is originally from Nigeria. He joined the military in 1966 and served his country until 1983.

His years of service have taught him discipline and, George shares, to look at all of humanity with respect. This outlook is one of the reasons George is a fantastic caregiver!

CaraVita Home Care’s February 2020 Caregiver of the Month is Atinuke “Tina” Doherty. Tina is one of CaraVita Home Care’s longest-running employees having been with us for over ten years!

Tina is originally from Nigeria but moved to the U.S. over thirty years ago to attend Jacksonville State University in Anniston, Alabama. She anticipated going back home to Nigeria but ended up meeting her first husband while in school there and stayed.

Each year, CaraVita Home Care nominates one Care Partner from the Caregiver of the Month nominees, someone who truly exemplifies CaraVita’s vision and mission, to honor as the “Caregiver of the Year.”

This year (drumroll, please!), our 2019 Caregiver of the Year is RoToya Jiles!

RoToya joined the CaraVita family this past March [2019], but she has already shown herself to be one of the very best! To read more about RoToya’s story, you can read her Caregiver of the Month Spotlight here!

CaraVita Home Care’s CaraVita Home Care’s Caregiver of the Month for December 2019 is one of our fabulous live-in caregivers, Rotoya Jiles!

Rotoya is originally from Montgomery, Alabama. Growing up, both her mom and aunt were RNs, and she would go with them to their jobs or the hospital. She got to see what it was like to care for people firsthand and later helped her mom care for both her grandmother and grandfather when they became ill.

CaraVita Home Care’s caregiver of the month for November 2019 is one of our longest staff members, Janie Wallace!

Janie was born in South Carolina but lived in Boston for 36 years. Previous to being a caregiver, she worked for a telephone company for over 30 years. Her sister worked with people who were developmentally disabled and encouraged Janie to come work with her. She knew she had what it takes to be a caregiver, but Janie said she was resistant at first. Then, one day she went to her sister’s work to see what it was all about. “They didn’t want me to leave! And now here I am, still working as a caregiver!” Janie said.

CaraVita Home Care’s October Caregiver of the Month goes to Philomina Fyneface! Philomina is originally from Nigeria and moved to the United States in 1984. She has been here with her two sons, who are almost in their thirties, ever since!

She raised her two boys as a single mom, and she says this is the one thing she is most proud of in her life.

“I was a single mother, and I didn’t know if I could do it. I was alone in a foreign country, and I didn’t know if I could raise two boys by myself,” Philomina said, “but they turned out to be good boys! It was not on my own, but by the grace of God. I had to rely on God and realize that I can do ALL things through Him. He gave me the strength to keep going so I give him the glory for that.”

CaraVita Home Care’s August Caregiver of the month is Rita Offiong! Rita has been with CaraVita since December 2018 and has been a fantastic member of the CaraVita team ever since!

Originally from Nigeria, Rita has her B.S. in Mass Communication and her Masters in Public Administration. Two of the proudest moments in her life was the moment she was accepted into college and the day that she graduated. While living in Nigeria, Rita also spent over four years being one of the primary caregivers for her grandmother and says that was when she knew she loved caring for seniors. “My grandmother had dementia, and I had to learn to have patience and empathy. I don’t think you can care for someone living with dementia well if you don’t have those two qualities.”

CaraVita Home Care’s caregiver of the month of July goes to Grace Lasekan! Grace is originally from Nigeria in West Africa and moved to the United States in November of 2007! This decision came after her mom applied for green cards for herself, Grace and Grace’s two boys: Michael and Isaac.

In Nigeria, Grace graduated from high school and underwent training to become a teacher. Once she had completed her program, she began teaching the fourth grade. “I have always been caring for people, whether it is the seniors or the juniors!” Grace said with a laugh.

Upon moving to the United States, Grace had several family members working in the caregiving field. With encouragement from her sister, Grace decided that becoming a CNA would be a good fit for her. So, after becoming certified, she joined the CaraVita family in 2008!

Our caregiver of the month for June is an employee that has been with CaraVita Home Care for over TEN years! Lizzie first started working for CaraVita Home Care when our office was still on Canton Street and has been with us ever since!

Originally from Kenya, Lizzie moved to the United States in October 1999. “I came for my daughter’s graduation, and she really wanted me to come and stay, so I decided to move here.” Lizzie has one daughter, two sons, and eleven grandchildren. One of her sons still lives in Kenya, but her other two children live in the United States, and she enjoys living close enough to visit her grandchildren.

Adeyemi, or “Yemi” as staff and clients know him, is originally from Lagos, Nigeria. His wife, Boyo, and his sister-in-law Helen are also caregivers for CaraVita Home Care!

Boyo and Yemi met in Lagos in 1993; they had a traditional Nigerian engagement in 2005 before Boyo moved to the US in 2008. During their time in separate countries, they would travel back and forth to Nigeria or meet in the UK to visit one another. They had their formal church wedding in March of 2015 and continued traveling to and from Nigeria until Yemi received his green card in May of 2016 to be with Boyo in the United States. “I am a very loyal man!” Yemi says with a laugh, “That’s why I have stayed with CaraVita from the beginning!”

Our CaraVita Home Care April Caregiver of the Month is Bosede Oyadele! Bosede is an excellent employee, and we’re proud to highlight her story for our readers this month!

Bosede has been with CaraVita since August 2017. Our case management staff nominated her because in her time at CaraVita, she has consistently stepped up to the plate, taken initiative, and been an extremely reliable and dependable care partner!

This month, CaraVita Home Care is highlighting Mary Miringu, one of our driven and compassionate employees! We’re excited to share her story, as well as an account from one of her clients! We appreciate her taking the time to speak with us, and we would like you to join us in highlighting her accomplishments.

This month, we would like to congratulate Mary Miringu, our CaraVita Home Care Caregiver of the Month!

Glory Uluocha is originally from Nigeria. She studied early childhood education and worked in that field before moving to the United States over twenty years ago.

Shortly after moving to America, she married her loving husband, and they now have three beautiful children: one boy who is 20-years old and two girls, now 23 and 17.

Congratulations, Balkiss Bochere, our December Caregiver of the Month! We are excited at the opportunity this month to spend some time with Balkiss to learn what makes her such an incredible caregiver!

Balkiss has been a CaraVita employee since February 2016. She told us that she loves her family very dearly, and leaving them behind is extremely difficult, however, she decided to come to the United States to pursue a career and education to provide better lives for them in Kenya. Balkiss and her family (including her husband and seven-year-old son) were all born in Kenya.

Though she was not in healthcare for most of her career, Josephine Okolie has been taking care of people for most of her life. The oldest child in her family in Nigeria, Josephine grew up with three siblings. Her family was Catholic, and Josephine wanted to be a nun. As she began the early stages of the journey to becoming a nun, she began working for American Life Insurance as an executive assistant. When the time came to take her vows, Josephine decided against becoming one because it would require her leaving her job which was helping to pay the school fees for all of her siblings.

Caring and responsible – Alima Njie is an ideal caregiver. She is also our October Caregiver Spotlight at CaraVita Home Care! Alima is originally from Gambia, West Africa. When she is not working, she enjoys spending most of her time with her four daughters – ages 18, 15, 13 and 5! She grew up in a family with two brothers, so having four girls has definitely been a learning experience for her. She recently proclaimed:

“They [my daughters] drive me crazy… but they are also everything to me!”

Alima became certified as a CNA in 2014. She was first exposed to caregiving watching her mother as a child. She lived in New York with her mom who was a private, live-in caregiver. On the weekends, Alima would help her mother at work and she soon realized how much she loved caring for the elderly.

Congratulations to LaJean Fant for being CaraVita Home Care’s September Employee of the Month. LaJean is originally from Gary, Indiana. She has been married for 18 years and has two adult children, one step-daughter, and three grandchildren. LaJean has always had a passion for caregiving and helping others.

“Family is very important to me. I grew up in a big family, and I was the oldest of seven, so I think I started taking care of my siblings at a pretty young age.”

Since 2005, LaJean has been a CNA, Certified Nursing Assistant. Her previous career was in caring for children with developmental disabilities. Both careers hold similarities in a lot of ways in that she has cared for many individuals with challenges, either mental or physical.

Congratulations to Christopher Nweze, our August Employee of the Month! Christopher, originally from Nigeria, has a strong passion for caring for others. His lovely wife is a nurse, and he started caregiving while getting his Master’s degree in Business Systems Integration in the United Kingdom. Christopher has always shared a passion for helping others, he even remembers helping others as a young child.

Christopher has been working with CaraVita Home Care since August 2017. His favorite thing about working here is the excellent community of employees. He believes, “the way that they relate to their staff is something I cherish.” His clients appreciate his work as well.

We are so happy to have Christopher working with us here at CaraVita!

Congratulations to Tawanda Burge, our July Caregiver of the Month at CaraVita! Originally from Macon, Georgia, this mom and grandmother of three is a joyous addition to the CaraVita family. Tawanda has been with the CaraVita team since April, 2017! Having been a caregiver for the last 23 years, Tawanda grew up in a family of eight kids, four girls and four boys, and she started caring for her grandmother when she was just 12 years old!

“I’ve just always wanted to take care of people and make friends. My family will tell you I’ve always been the person to negotiate conflicts and solve problems. I’m a people person.”

Tawanda loves to go to Six Flags White Water. She enjoys eating funnel cake, and playing the different games – her favorite is the game that attempts to guess your weight and age. Tawanda says she can fool the game every time! Although she does enjoy going to the park, she also is delighted to be a caregiver.

Congratulations Edemanwan for being CaraVita Home Care’s June Caregiver Spotlight! Originally from Nigeria, Edem has had the chance to see the world! In her younger years, she worked for a family friend, traveling the globe to places such as Gambia, London, and so much more! Edem worked taking care of the family’s children, and home, and in turn, she had the opportunity to attend school. Edem thanks her parents for always encouraging her to be the best she could be.

“They could have kept me back, but instead they pushed me forward. I’m so grateful my parents did this because I wouldn’t be where I am today if it were not for that decision. It has made me stronger, independent, and resilient. I know that no matter where I go, I can survive! I am a person that takes risks and loves adventure!”

Edem went to school for Accounting and Finance in Gambia, and then studied Computer Science and Information Technology Systems in London. She is blessed with four beautiful daughters and is also a grandmother! In her spare time, Edem loves dancing and listening to Christian music. Her favorite song is “Come to Jesus” by William McDowell.

Congratulations to Evelyn Joseph for being the May Caregiver Spotlight at CaraVita Home Care! She is originally from Haiti and is currently attending CENSA Nursing School and is set to graduate this October! Evelyn is always there for our clients and their families. She loves to read often, walk in the park, and watch television. When asked what her favorite show was, she replied:

“Law and Order,” and then laughed, “maybe I should have been a lawyer!”

With all jokes aside, Evelyn has always wanted to be a nurse. She has been working with CaraVita since January 2017 and she says that it is a great company to work for and be a part of. She said, “They listen to their caregivers, and I love getting to come in and joke with the office staff!”

Congratulations to Dan Adesinmilolu for being the April Caregiver Spotlight at CaraVita Home Care! Dan is a hard worker and an extremely caring person. He is always going above and beyond for clients to put a smile on their face and make sure they are cared for.

Dan, originally from Nigeria, was away working in the United States when his parents unfortunately passed. The memory of his parents continues to inspire Dan to do his best every single day. He feels that by taking care of people at CaraVita, he is, in a way, taking care of his parents.

Jazzmine has been with CaraVita Home Care for a year now, and has already shown herself to be a dependable and compassionate caregiver. Recently, she was nominated by a family member in Roswell for the care and attention she gave to their mother at the end of her life.

“My mom was 94-years-old and she could be a little stubborn. My sisters and I were always amazed that Jazz could get my mom to do things that we couldn’t. She just had a way with her. Even when my mom had a bad day, Jazz always had a positive attitude. She would come in the next day and reassure my mom that today was going to be better. She would tell us, ‘I just love your mom,’ and we knew she really cared for her.”

At CaraVita, we do our best to provide the most professional and compassionate care for our clients and their families. This is why we are so thankful to have caregivers like Jazzmine on our team of top-notch caregivers. Congratulations Jazzmine!

Each year, the administrative team here at CaraVita Home Care selects one caregiver from the previous year to celebrate as the Caregiver of the Year. This caregiver has shown an outstanding level of work performance over the last year and exceptional dedication and professionalism in representing CaraVita. They demonstrate CaraVita’s core values of Wellness, Excellence, Communication, Attention to Detail, Engagement and Integrity. They must have been a CaraVita employee for at least one full year, and have previously been awarded the Caregiver of the Month award.

This year the staff has chosen Miriam “Mimi” Njoroge as the 2017 Caregiver of the Year. Congratulations Mimi!

Miriam Njoroge, or “Mimi,” has been a caregiver with CaraVita since 2006! She has provided countless hours of compassionate care and constantly goes the extra mile to meet her clients needs and preferences. She has been caring for her current bed bound client since October of 2016. This particular client loves being outdoors as much as possible, so each day Mimi makes it possible for him to go outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. “She’s takes good care of me, and always keeps me smiling,” the client said before serenading her with a tune from Sinatra. This dedication to her clients is the reason that the CaraVita office staff nominated her for October’s Caregiver of the Month in 2017 and went on to win Caregiver of the Year!

Cynthia has been working for CaraVita for about a year now and has already made a lasting impact on her clients. Her thoughtfulness and attention to detail are just some of the reasons Cynthia was nominated for our December caregiver of the month award. The client she is with right now said, “By far Cynthia is the best caregiver I have ever had. She makes every effort to take care of all the small things and goes far above and beyond the things I ask her. Many times, she has done things before I can even ask her. She takes such good care of me and I don’t know what I would do without her!” This past year, her client wanted to wear something new and look sharp for Thanksgiving, and Cynthia went in her free time to find him some new shirts so he looked his best for the holiday season. She really exemplifies the vision of CaraVita Home Care to care for clients as if they were our own family, and we are so thankful to have caregivers like Cynthia as part of the CaraVita family!

Rebecca Wescott is the program coordinator for CaraVita’s Wellness Clinic at Arbor Terrace Peachtree City. Rebecca first started with CaraVita in May of 2015, and has continued to provide reliable, compassionate care to residents at Arbor Terrace Peachtree City.

She has developed trust and relationships with the residents and staff at Arbor Terrace and continues to grow and increase the program’s quality and services. Her compassion and dependability has made her a favorite face of the residents at Arbor Terrace. Rebecca is flexible, hard-working, and always willing to go the extra mile for her clients. We are so thankful to have LPNs like Rebecca as part of the CaraVita family!

Miriam Njoroge, or “Mimi,” has been a caregiver with CaraVita since 2006! She has provided countless hours of compassionate care and constantly goes the extra mile to meet her clients needs and preferences. She has been caring for her current bed bound client since October of 2016. This particular client loves being outdoors as much as possible, so each day Mimi makes it possible for him to go outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. “She’s takes good care of me, and always keeps me smiling,” the client said before serenading her with a tune from Sinatra. This dedication to her clients is the reason that the CaraVita office staff nominated her for October’s Caregiver of the Month award.

BIO COMING SOON

Judith Okech is the most amazing woman, we love having her with my mom each day. Having Judith gives me a sense of peace knowing she is caring for my mother.

She has been with my mother since November of 2015. We started out at Sterling Estates assisted living and then moved to the Georgian Lakeside memory care. My mother has dementia and continues to decline, but Judith manages her every needs with grace, compassion and love.

She goes above and beyond to make sure my mother is cared for, clean, enjoying herself and that her place is beautiful and maintained. Judith takes such pride in her work and brings joy to all those around her. She is always happy and radiates with a positive, happy vibe which is so desperately needed in Memory Care. Everyone at the Georgian Lakeside loves Judith, the staff and the other residents enjoy her company.

At her request, she wanted me to take my mom out of the building at least once a week to get fresh air and have a new environment, so we started taking my mom to lunch weekly. This is a very difficult task since my mom uses a walker and forgets how to walk sometimes, and at time she is in a wheelchair; but, with Judith we can conquer anything.

Judith helps me with all her doctor appointments and I honestly could not handle the doctor visits without the help and mental support. Judith is my angel, my gift from GOD to help me care for my mom in the best way possible, I am so blessed we found her.

Thank You CaraVita and Nancy Marvin for suggesting Judith. We love her!

Emmanuelle Tokwaulu joined the CaraVita team in August of 2017, and has been an integral part of the Shared Services team at Atria North Point. Along with hourly private-duty care, she assists clients in independent living on the weekends, and everyone she works with really enjoys her positivity, patience, and “can-do” attitude! When speaking with her the client’s families, they all appreciate her compassion and dependability when it comes to taking care of their loved ones. At the office, our scheduling staff really value her commitment to teamwork and know they can count on her.

These are just a few of the reasons Emmanuelle has been nominated for our March Caregiver of the Month award!