Keshia Prejean received the honor as one out of 25,000 caregivers across the Right at Home network, at the company’s national conference.

OMAHA, Neb. — On April 29, 600 cheering representatives of leading in-home care company Right at Home honored Keshia Prejean as 2022 National Caregiver of the Year at the company’s national conference in Glendale, Arizona. Prejean was selected from more than 25,000 caregivers across the Right at Home network for her exemplary commitment to making a difference in the lives of her clients and team members.

Prejean has been with Right at Home for two years, working as a caregiver in the Texas Hill Country for owners Sydney Greenwalt and Terry Darilek. Prejean’s compassion, selflessness and willingness to go above and beyond have made her a valued member of Right at Home and a beloved caregiver for seniors in her community.

Last year, central Texas experienced unprecedented snowfall, including widespread power outages, burst water lines and road closures. But did that stop Prejean from going to work and making a difference? “It didn’t slow her down one bit,” said Greenwalt. “She knew one of our clients was bed bound with no resources and no family. So unbeknownst to us, Keshia flagged down a snowplow driver and had him take her to our client’s home. She weather-proofed the home, tracked down water and walked to the store in the snow to buy food.”

Prejean stayed almost a week with her client, sacrificing the needs of her own family to help someone in need. “EMS and Fire Rescue were unable to access roads during the first few days of the storm,” said Greenwalt. “I’m convinced our client would not have survived without Keshia’s help.”

According to Keysha Friar, Director of Employee Relations at Right at Home Hill Country, Prejean’s generosity isn’t reserved only for her clients. “Keshia doesn’t just help our clients, she is so loving toward her co-workers too,” said Friar. “We recently received a phone call from one of our caregivers who wanted to let us know how wonderful Keshia is. Apparently Keshia found out another caregiver was having transportation issues so she booked and paid for a $75 Uber to take this caregiver to our client’s home. Of course we reimbursed Keshia for this, but she never mentioned it to us and didn’t request reimbursement. That says a lot about who Keshia is.”

National Caregiver of the Year is the highest honor awarded by the Right at Home network. The award is presented annually during the organization’s annual conference.

“Right at Home is so proud and thrilled to honor Keshia Prejean as our 2022 National Caregiver of the Year,” said Margaret Haynes, President and CEO of Right at Home. “The award honors those caregivers who provide extraordinary service to clients every day, and Keshia has definitely illustrated the very essence of the award. She continually lives our mission, ‘To improve the quality of life for those we serve.’ We are so grateful that Keshia is part of Right at Home.”

In addition to honoring Prejean nationally, Right at Home recognized eight caregivers across the country for their outstanding commitment to their clients. This year’s Regional Caregivers of the Year are:

  • West Region Caregiver of the Year: Maria Castro of Burbank, California
    (office owners Leanna and Doug Dickstein)
  • East Central Region Caregiver of the Year: Candy Palmer of Wilmington, North Carolina (office owner Jennifer Selden)
  • Northwest Central Region Caregiver of the Year: Marci Meader of Reno, Nevada
    (office owners Pete Kuzmich and Shayne Brown)
  • Mid-Atlantic Region Caregiver of the Year: Sarah Williams of Fairfax, Virginia
    (office owner Phill Turner)
  • Southwest Region Caregiver of the Year: Vodrick Morrison of San Antonio, Texas
    (office owners Sloane and Jim Wendell)
  • Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year: Anice Browning of Little Rock, Arkansas
    (office owner Lauren Miller)
  • Northeast Region Caregiver of the Year: Tanya Todd of Hillsborough, New Jersey
    (office owners Janet and Carl Kuebler)
  • Midwest Region Caregiver of the Year: Larry Sharon of West Des Moines, Iowa
    (office owner Raouf Agrignan and operator Christina Richter)

Going the extra mile to provide exceptional care for those in need of at-home assistance often comes down to the small things which make a big difference in a client’s life. Right at Home is proud to recognize the exemplary caregivers within its system whose purpose-driven work betters the lives of those they are entrusted to serve.

ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME:

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care to seniors and adults with a disability who want to continue to live independently. Most Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff, each of whom is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client’s home. Right at Home’s global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 600 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries. For more information on Right at Home, read the Right at Home blog at http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/blog/.