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Home health aide. Direct care worker. Paid caregiver.

These titles describe a critical workforce united by one purpose: caring for real people. Council on Aging understands the essential role home health aides play in providing critical and often life-saving care for older adults who want to remain in their homes as they age. These professionals also provide much-needed support for family caregivers balancing careers, families and other responsibilities.

Each year, COA presents the Home Health Aide Hero Award to area home health aides and paid caregivers, including AddnAide and Consumer Directed Care (CDC) caregivers, who provide exceptional care to vulnerable older adults and help COA fulfill its mission.

Council on Aging CEO Suzanne Burke said, “These awards remind this critical workforce that their efforts make a real difference in the day-to-day lives of their clients.”

Now accepting nominations for 2027

COA is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Home Health Aide Hero Awards.

If you know a home health aide or AddnAide/CDC caregiver who goes above and beyond to provide exceptional care for older adults in our region, please nominate them for a 2027 Home Health Aide Hero Award. The nomination process and eligibility criteria are described below.

Winners will be honored at Council on Aging’s 2027 Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration Luncheon on March 17, 2027, at the Sharonville Convention Center. Each winner will receive an award and a $250 check.

Eligibility

Anyone who provides direct care to an older adult to help them remain independent in their home is eligible for this award, as long as the worker is:
1. Employed by a Council on Aging contracted service provider, or
2. Employed as a caregiver via Consumer Directed Care, Self Directed Care and/or the AddnAide app.

Nomination process

Nominate a deserving home health aide or AddnAide/CDC caregiver by completing the online nomination form. Include a detailed explanation of why the nominee deserves the Home Health Aide Hero Award, with specific examples of how and when the nominee went above and beyond in caring for their client or clients. A paper nomination form is also available.

Nominations will be accepted until January 15, 2027.