On With Life Nurse Named Caregiver of the Year

Andrea Carico of On With Life has been awarded the Caregiver of the Year Award by LeadingAge Iowa, an association representing not-for-profit aging services providers. The award is given to an individual who demonstrated skills, both professional and interpersonal, that exceeded expectations. The award winner has positively affected the quality of life of those served, significantly improved a service or program, and demonstrated a strong and rare commitment to the organization and those served.

Andrea won the Caregiver of the Year Award for her strong work ethic and dedication to delivering the highest quality person-centered care.  

Andrea positively affects the quality of care delivery and the person’s served overall quality of life through her advocacy skills. She is very transparent with nursing leadership and brings forward several ideas benefiting person served care. After one of On With Life’s monthly nursing meetings, Andrea pulled leadership aside and shared that she had interest in preventing falls and would like to serve as the “Fall Champion.” After this conversation, she took the time to research and attend several conferences pertaining to falls and was a vital member in the development of On With Life’s new Post Fall Huddle.

However, she didn’t stop there and recognized that other individuals outside of On With Life could benefit from this knowledge. Therefore, she was a guest speaker for one of On With Life’s Stroke Rehabilitation Webinars on preventing falls post-stroke. Andrea’s webinar was able to reach more than 80 healthcare professionals across the United States. Andrea’s involvement in process improvement is one of the highest in the industry, and she significantly contributes to the success of On With Life rehabilitation program.

“Andrea is an extraordinary nurse. She has a passion for what she does, and that shows through her words and actions,” said Jean Shelton, CEO. “Her dedication to others – the individuals she serves, the families and her co-workers – is admirable and make her an asset to our team at On With Life.”

Recipients received their award at a statewide recognition ceremony on September 11 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Convention Complex in Cedar Rapids at the LeadingAge Iowa Fall Leadership Conference.