Charlie Worthington wins caregiver of the year honor
Pat Lake is pictured with Charlie Worthington who received the Caregiver of the Year award at the 11th annual Coshocton County Caregiver Appreciation Day event held on Oct. 6 at Coshocton Village Inn and Suites. Josie Sellers | Beacon
COSHOCTON – Cathy Hudson couldn’t say enough nice things about Charlie Worthington.
“He’s a great gentleman,” she said.
Hudson and her team at Community Hospice nominated Worthington for the Caregiver of the Year honor, which was presented to him at the Coshocton County Caregiver Appreciation Day event held on Oct. 6 at the Coshocton Village Inn and Suites. Other nominees were: Debra Simons, Juana Jones, William Jones and Melissa (Wesney) Ashley.
“Charlie has been a caregiver for his wife now for several years……and we are truly touched by his dedication and determination,” Hudson said. “He’s a wonderful man and an exceptional caregiver.”
Worthington was very humbled by the award.
“Thank you to everybody involved in this,” he said. “Thank you also to all the caregivers. It’s a tough job.”
The annual luncheon is presented by the Coshocton Caregiver Coalition and is open to any unpaid caregiver residing in Coshocton County. A caregiver and one guest received a complementary lunch. Sponsors of the event had tables set up with helpful information, there were complementary massages and entertainment was provided by Donovan Rice.
“This is a special day for caregivers to set some time aside for themselves,” said Kim Corder, from Signature Health Care, one of the sponsors of the event.
Taking time for yourself is something that Pat Lake highly recommends to caregivers.
“It is not selfish,” she said. “You have to care for yourself. You can’t be a good caregiver unless you take care of yourself. Not taking care of yourself will ultimately lead to feelings of anger, resentment and bitterness and those are not good emotions to feel.”
Lake leads a caregiver support group that meets at 10:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the Coshocton Public Library.
“It’s a great group and we can say anything we want to in there,” she said. “Caregivers are not alone.”
For more information on the Coshocton Caregiver Coalition, contact Lake at 800-945-4250 ext. 4901 or Tracy Foraker at ext. 4719.
“You caregivers are my unsung heroes,” Lake said. “I know what it takes and I am so proud of each and every one of you.”
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