It’s Award Season at Cooperative Home Care & Cooperative Hospice!
Last year’s Serving & Celebrating in Our 30th Year campaign was a great success, including 33 service projects to recognize our 30th year. Now, we’re reaching in to recognize our employees, and reaching out with all of their tremendous stories. We’re excited to remind them how amazing they are.
Ryan Hotop will be recognized at next week’s Missouri Alliance for Home Care (MAHC) (hyperlink) 2018 Annual Conference and Home Care Exhibition in Osage Beach, MO.
We are pleased to share his winning nomination:
Purpose of Award: Recognizes an individual who has performed extraordinary volunteer service and commitment to the agency, patients or clients.
It is with great honor to nominate Ryan Hotop, a certified volunteer and Cooperative Home Care team member, for the 2018 Missouri Alliance for Home Care (MAHC) Volunteer of the Year Award.
Several years ago, Ryan became a certified volunteer at the encouragement of a reverend who saw how he interacted with clients. Shortly thereafter, Ryan completed training to become a certified volunteer. Ryan currently works in the home health care industry.
Ryan explained how he enjoys his job in home health care, but volunteering is a different experience.
“I’m able to really get to know the client, the family and spend quality one-on-one time. I get to stay as long as I want to talk, to laugh and to listen.”
For the past several years, Ryan has spent a majority of his volunteer time assigned to one client who died last fall while in Hospice care. As a volunteer, Ryan got to know the client’s family, entertain the client and celebrate milestones.
Ryan knew that the client loved jazz music and had been a professional musician. Ryan surprised his client during one visit by bringing a ukulele to play. Ryan knows how to play guitar but thought the ukulele would be fun for his client to hear. Ryan said the client was surprised and moved by the gesture that Ryan would play music for him. Playing music for his client is one of the favorite memories Ryan has with his client.
Eric Williams, Cooperative Home Care chaplain, shared a story of how he joined Ryan to play music for the same client. Ryan played ukulele, and Eric played guitar.
“It brought such joy to our client. We laughed and had a so much fun.”
Eric shared another example of how Ryan’s intuitiveness and desire to help made a difference when dealing with his client’s concern. Last year when Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, the client for whom Ryan played the ukulele had a daughter who lived in Houston. The client was worried about her. Ryan arranged for them to speak by phone, and the daughter was safe. She had not been able to call her father when Hurricane Harvey first came to shore.
Last fall, the client died. Ryan said he was grateful to be part of the client’s life. He became close to the family and was included in many celebrations.
“Ryan is an exceptional volunteer. He is humble, dependable and present. He offers his full attention to clients without any distractions. He even comes into our office to help us with administrative matters when we need an extra set of hands. I would rank Ryan as one of the top five volunteers I’ve worked with during my ministerial career,” said Eric.
When asked why he volunteers, Ryan said, “People are here to support one another. Volunteering my time with clients is one way I know I can show them my love and respect.”
Ryan Hotop is a wonderful example of how a volunteer impacts the lives of clients and their families. If Ryan were selected, he would be an ideal ambassador for the MAHC and a role model for other volunteers.
If you want reliable home care for your aging loved one, call our Intake Nurse at 1-800-HOMECARE (1-800-466-3227) in Missouri and 618-HOMECARE (618-466-3227) in Illinois. Caregivers, Nurses, Therapists, and Administrative candidates, are you ready to join our amazing team? Apply now!
