The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) announced Tuesday, April 5th, the recipients of its ALFA 2011 Hero Awards. Five extraordinary senior living professionals have been selected from a pool of nearly 650 nominations. Each year, the ALFA Hero Awards recognize individuals who are ideal representatives of the hundreds of thousands of people serving in the senior living field.

“Nominated by residents, family members, supervisors, and colleagues, the ALFA 2011 Heroes, and all of those who were nominated, embrace the core principles of resident-centered senior living by encouraging independence, preserving dignity, offering choice and advancing quality of life for the seniors they serve,” said Richard P. Grimes, president and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America. “The ALFA Heroes represent the highest levels of excellence, caring and dedication in the senior living business, and mirror all the hard-working people choosing to serve seniors.”

Nominations were reviewed based on a nominator’s articulation of a person going above and beyond their job assignments to champion quality of life for the residents they serve. The five award recipients were announced and honored today during the ALFA Hero Awards Luncheon at the ALFA 2011 Conference & Expo in Orlando. Each hero’s story was shared in special videos now available online at www.alfa.org/heroes. Additionally, each is being profiled in upcoming issues of ALFA’s magazine, Assisted Living Executive.

ALFA 2011 Hero Award Winners

• Toni Flowers of Brandywine Assisted Living at Senior Suites, a Brandywine Senior Living community in East Norriton, Pennsylvania. Watch the video of Toni Flowers.
• Hervinder Dogra of Vintage Simi Hills, aVintage Senior Living community in Simi Hills, California. Watch the video of Hervinder Dogra.
• Sharon Stiles of Sterling House of Shelby, a Brookdale Senior Living community in Shelby, North Carolina. Watch the video of Sharon Stiles.
• Maribeth Shearer of Emeritus at Spicewood Springs, an Emeritus Senior Living community in Austin, Texas. Watch the video of Maribeth Shearer.
• Deb Ericksen of Heritage Woods of Centralia, a BMA Management community in Centralia, Illinois. Watch the video of Deb Ericksen.

The rigorous awards competition also named a group of ALFA 2011 Champions of Senior Living.

“The dedication and passion of all the big-hearted people who choose to serve seniors is a reason why resident-centered senior living is the fastest-growing long-term services and support option in the United States,’’ said Grimes. “The high-quality, resident-focused care provided by these outstanding individuals and their communities is what our nation’s seniors need and deserve.”

More Information

For questions about Hero nominations, email hero@alfa.org.