Caring Senior Service names Galesburg, Illinois caregiver its 2024 Caregiver of the Year

Carver was nominated for the award by the location’s agency director, Katy Packingham, because of his willingness to go the extra mile for both his clients and the company. The nomination was supported by Caring Senior Service of Galesburg owners Ian and Lisa Klaes.

“Matt goes the extra mile for all his clients, learning new skills so he can help them with any specialized care they need or even assist them on outings,” Lisa Klaes said. “For example, Matt agreed to go with a client on a fishing trip, knowing that he would be the primary caregiver for the entire three-day trip. He not only rose to that occasion but gave the client a wonderful vacation he had not experienced in nearly a decade.”

Klaes said Carver also has some clients who require specialized care because of their injuries or illnesses, and he is always willing to expand his knowledge to ensure those clients have the proper care.

To participate in the contest, caregivers must be actively employed with the company, must have worked at least 750 hours during 2024 and must be GreatCare® Advanced certified.

In addition to Carver, two other caregivers were recognized for their hard work as the first and second runners up. The 2024 first runner-up is Carol Robbins, a caregiver at Caring Senior Service of Brazoria County, Texas, and the second runner-up is Linda Huit, a caregiver at the Abilene, Texas, location. The winners were announced at the company’s quarterly conference in January.

“One of Matt’s greatest assets is his positive attitude,”’ said Caring Senior Service founder and CEO Jeff Salter. “He doesn’t just do the work, he takes pride in doing the best job he knows how to do. It’s caregivers like Matt, Carol and Linda who make the customer experience at Caring such a success.”