Lynn care worker nets state award

LYNN – A Lynn mother of seven was among five personal-care attendants Thursday to receive a top state service award.Maria C. Garcia, 60, of Broad Street, was honored with the Paul Kahn Award for Personal Care Attendants, presented by the Personal Care Attendant Quality Home Care Workforce Council during a ceremony at the State House.Garcia was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City in 1963, where she attended George Washington High School. Her family relocated to Lynn in 1972.”I owned homes in Lynn but now I’m divorced and live in an apartment. All my children live in the area,” she said. “I return to the Dominican Republic for vacation.”Garcia, who has been employed by Northeast Arc in Cambridge for 10 years, was singled out for dedication to her patients. “I have five clients altogether. I come to their house every day and do whatever they need, maybe sweep the floor, do the laundry, cook them dinner, or take them to a doctor’s appointment. Some of them like to go out for lunch, so I bring them to a certain restaurant. Sometimes they just want to get out for fresh air, especially in the winter time.”Garcia said her clients range in age from early 50s to late 70s. “Love and patience are the ingredients for this job. If you love your patients, it is the best thing. I feel so good when I see a smile on them,” she said. “Even if they are older than me, they still call me mom because they know I have a mom’s love for them.”The Paul Kahn Award recognizes the vital role that personal-care attendants play in assisting with the tasks of everyday living for thousands of Massachusetts residents.”Caring for elders and persons with disabilities in their own homes must be a meaningful option for those who choose community living,” said state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. “PCAs are the backbone of our Community First efforts for many of our MassHealth consumers and we cannot do this work without them.”Garcia’s nomination letter submitted by her “consumer’s surrogate” stated, “Maria does not think twice about giving up her weekend or working hours that are not going to be paid. Maria is not only Janet’s PCA, but also her friend.”Paul Kahn, a longtime advocate for disability rights, was among the first people in Massachusetts to use personal care attendants in the mid-1970s. He died earlier this year.