Tom Holt is pictured with Colleen Bullion, LeadingAge WNY president.

LeadingAge Western New York honored 50 employees and volunteers who have shown exemplary work in the senior care and geriatrics profession at Samuel’s Grande Manor on May 8. The organization also presented Thomas Holt, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services, Jamestown, with the Meritorious Service Award, its highest honor.

LeadingAge WNY represents more than 50 not-for-profit facilities and service organizations for seniors and adults throughout Western New York. These facilities provide nursing home care, assisted living, rehabilitation care, home health care, independent living and associated community services for nearly 10,000 seniors and adults annually.

Holt is a prominent advocate for senior care and social services, and has served in leadership positions across the state, including LeadingAge New York in Albany, the Public Health and Health Planning Council, the State Hospital Review and Planning Council and the Mental Health Services Council. At Lutheran Social Services he oversees a 148-bed skilled nursing facility, an assisted living program, a medical model adult day program, a resident treatment facility and school for at-risk adolescents, senior housing, and a program in Rochester that provides housing and care for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Four scholarship awards were presented to employees of LeadingAge WNY member organizations. The $1,000 stipends, co-sponsored by the following organizations, are given to help employees continue education in the field of long-term health care and geriatrics:

Buffalo Ultrasound awarded a scholarship to Kelsey Butler, a licensed practical nurse at St. Ann’s Care Center, Webster. A Rochester resident, she is enrolled at Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing and is pursuing her degree as a registered nurse.

Freed Maxick CPAs, P.C. awarded a scholarship to Kemra King, a nutrition coordinator at St. Ann’s Care Center. She is working on a degree in healthcare administration at SUNY Brockport. She resides in Rochester.

Parkview Health Services presented a scholarship to Britney Stancampiano, a receptionist at Bristol Village, Clarence Center. A resident of East Amherst, she is working on a nursing degree at Erie Community College.

LeadingAge Western New York presented a scholarship to Jordan Plyler. A business analyst at Fallon Health Weinburg, he is pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing at Niagara County Community College. He resides in North Tonawanda.

The Special Program Award was given to Mercy Nursing Facility, Lackawanna, for its resident exercise program. The daily program incorporates ambulation and range of motion exercises as well singing, dancing, Tai Chi and pet visits. This interdisciplinary program has improved resident mobility and mood, and has had a positive impact upon satisfaction scores across the facility.

Founded in 1966 by a group of nursing home administrators, LeadingAge WNY is the oldest and largest regional network of not-for-profit senior care providers in the U.S.