This year, HCAOA received 259 nominations for the 2026 Caregiver of the Year Award! Each nominee represents the heart and soul of the home care industry — bringing comfort, dignity, and quality care to every client they serve. Their hard work and dedication make a meaningful difference every day to seniors, people with disabilities, and every person they care for at home. We are proud to recognize the exceptional work they do!

Finalists

NORTHERN TIER

Ingrid Mwansa
B’zoe Care,
Lynnwood, WA

WEST

Lisa Ilomin
Home Helpers Home Care of Thousand Oaks, Thousand Oaks, CA

CENTRAL

Kudirat Akinshiju
Custom Home Care, Chicago, IL

NORTHEAST

Elva "Mitsy" Rice
Village Caregiving, Morgantown, WV

SOUTHEAST

Rhonda Wilson
Bayada
Shelby, NC

Semifinalists

Northern Tier Region

Alexis Garcia
Home Matters Caregiving, Beaverton, OR.

Alisha Broenneke
All Ways Caring HomeCare, Lewiston, ID.

April Rose Mastin
Village Caregiving,
Rapid City, SD.

Jeremiah Gilfoy
All Ways Caring HomeCare, Silverdale, WA.

Julie Kirshtein
Comfort Keepers Kitsap, Bremerton, WA.

Renee Martinez
Senior Helpers South Tacoma,
Tacoma, WA.

Central Region

Glenda Beltran
FirstLight Home Care, Columbus, OH.

Penny Keith
Western Illinois Managed Home Services,
Galesburg, IL.

West Region

Martha Holmes
Home Helpers Home Care of Santa Clara Valley,
San Jose, CA.

Mirna Kina
Right at Home,
San Diego, CA.

Northeast Region

Amy Stiffler
Village Caregiving,
Altoona, PA.

Betty Kudoto
Capital City Nurses,
Chevy Chase, MD.

Jenell Murphy
Zeabe,
Smyrna, DE.

Sarah Urso
Home Matters Caregiving Gold Coast,
Stamford, CT.

Southeast Region

Shantiva' Nelson
Home Matters Caregiving Williamson County
Franklin, TN.

Joshua Stephens
Village Caregiving
Ashland, KY.

The 2026 Spirit of Care Award is sponsored by Paradigm, home care’s third-party payer experts. Home-based care providers use Paradigm to get paid on time, stay compliant, and scale confidently with a fully integrated, AI-powered platform. Click here to learn more.

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Finalists and Semifinalists

Finalists

Semifinalists

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