[BERLIN, Md.] – Home Instead Senior Care, the country’s largest provider of in-home senior care services, is proud to announce that Ocean Pines resident Gerri Palmer was recently named the Mid-Atlantic Caregiver of the Year. A caregiver in the Lower Eastern Shore area for over 3 years, Palmer rose to the top among hundreds of candidates for this prestigious award, and was among a select number of caregivers who were considered for the national award this spring.
Gerri Palmer has always had the heart of a CAREGiver. From a very early age, she would help her senior neighbors with their grocery store trips, laundry and any other jobs they needed help with. She thrived off of the feeling of helping others, and that feeling carried on into her adult life. As a single mother of five, Gerri was caring for people in her life every day, both professionally and, of course, at home. When her daughter was just a baby, she had open-heart surgery. Gerri says that experience changed her, and she realized just how important it was to be with her daughter around the clock.
“It opened my eyes. I couldn’t turn my back on my child. I had to be close to her at all times. She needed me all of the time, and that experience taught me the power of being there for someone,” Palmer said.
Gerri has spent most of her professional life caring for seniors in some form. From nursing homes, to taking care of her parents who both had Alzheimer’s and now as a CAREGiver at Home Instead, Gerri believes this is what she has been called to do.
Numerous families across the region have described the enormous impact Palmer has had on them. “Gerri has an unbelievable gift of calming and soothing people during life’s most difficult times,” said Corrie Boger, co-owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office where Palmer has worked since 2014. “Her endless compassion enables her to truly lead with her heart, connecting with the most challenging dementia patients and helping them to live peacefully in their own homes. Simply put, she is a true inspiration.”
Palmer views caregiving as her calling, and her colleagues hope her story will inspire others to serve the elderly and the needy. “We’re so proud of Gerri for this well-deserved and prestigious honor,” said Don Boger, fellow co-owner of the local Home Instead office. “We’re always looking for caring individuals like her to expand our team of professional caregivers, and it’s such a rewarding opportunity that brings happiness and joy to our community of seniors.”
National winners for the Home Instead CAREGiver of the Year award were announced earlier this spring. To learn more about your local Home Instead Senior Care, visit https://www.homeinstead.com/734 or call 410-641-0901.
