Page 40 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2021- Online Magazine

Exceptional
SENIOR
CAREGIVERS
TORCH 2021
Caregiver
of the Year
Shawna Nale
he Texas Organization of
Residential Care Homes
T(TORCH) named Shawna
Nale of Lubbock their 2021
Caregiver of The Year. The award
was given over a ZOOM meeting on
September 29, 2021, from the annual
TORCH conference in Austin, Texas.
With residents, staff members,
and family gathered for a special
lunch, Shawna was very surprised
and pleased when presented with
the award. The TORCH office had
mailed the award to Heartland
House in time for the presentation.
It was a well-kept secret until the
day it was announced, so there were
a few tears and a lot of applause.
Shawna was pleased that her eldest
child, Cheyenna, was there to see
her receive this honor. (Her two
younger children, Ben, a freshman,
and Brian, a fourth-grader, were in
school and unable to attend.)
As the owner of Heartland House,
nominating Shawna for this award
was an easy choice, as it is genuinely
effortless to sing her praises.
Everyone should be lucky enough to
have an employee who treats your
business with as much concern and
care as you do yourself. Shawna has
40 Lubbock Senior Link
By Kristi Townsen
gained the confidence
and experience to be a
very highly regarded
caregiver.
After Shawna's
nomination, letters
were also written on her behalf by
a family member of a resident and
a nurse who frequently cares for
residents there. The nurse, Sharae
Madewell, said that Shawna was
the most sincere, compassionate,
and truly loving caregiver she had
ever worked with. She went on to
say that “Shawna is a blessing to
those she serves, providing love and
attention to all her residents without
bias.” She emphasized that, even in
the most trying Hospice situations,
Shawna gives everyone reassurance
that their loved one will travel home
to the Lord, surrounded by peace
and love.
Becky Weatherly, whose mother
has been a resident at Heartland
House for four years, commented
in her letter that Shawna loves
each resident and cares for them
like her own family. She also
explained that what makes Shawna
such a wonderful caregiver is her
servant's heart. She went on to
note that, when her mother had
COVID, Shawna was not deterred
from donning the proper PPE
(personal protective equipment) and
continuing to care for her and the
other residents of Heartland House
every day.
Shawna began her caregiving career
in April 2002, at Heartland House
Assisted Living. At the time, she
was just twenty-three years old; she
had no caregiving experience but
was willing to learn. Over the years,
Shawna learned and worked in
every position at Heartland, and she
is currently the Assistant Manager.
She has endured some hardships
through the years, such as the death
of her first husband and one of her
children receiving treatments for
cancer, but she always comes back
to work with a good attitude, happy
to reunite with what she calls her
"second family".