Homewatch Caregivers Announces Judging Panel For 2011 National Family Caregiver Of The Year Award

Homewatch CareGivers, the largest, most experienced international provider of personal home care services, has assembled an independent panel of experts to select the winner of the third annual National Family Caregiver of the Year award. The 10-member panel, led by caregiving and healthcare industry experts, will review the award's semifinalists' written applications and select the recipient of the grand prize, which includes a $10,000 cash award, eight hours of free respite care, and a scholarship to Homewatch CareGivers University.

"We appreciate the time and commitment of our volunteer panelists," said Leann Reynolds, president of Homewatch CareGivers, who will participate with the other 9 members of the panel. "Their experience and insight make them uniquely qualified to serve in this capacity. Each panelist understands the devotion family caregivers provide to their loved ones and recognizes the importance of this award program: to recognize and support those who provide such faithful care." This year's panel is comprised of the following individuals: � Suzanne Mintz, CEO and President, National Family Caregivers Association � Denise Brown, author of The Caregiving Years, Six Stages to a Meaningful Journey, and Take Comfort, Reflections of Hope for Caregivers, and Founder of Caregiving.com � Beth Ludden, Sr. Vice President of LTC Product Development, Genworth Financial � Joanna Pera, Divisional Director of Business Development for Heartland Hospice and Home Health � Susan Lutz, Senior Project Manager, Health and Family Team for AARP � Leann Reynolds, President of Homewatch CareGivers � Jesse Slome, Executive Director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance � Martha Tierney, Contact Center Team Lead for the Alzheimer's Association � Fran Carpentier, Elder Care Advocate, former Senior Editor of Parade Magazine � Cheri Lattimer, Executive Director, Case Management Society of America Homewatch CareGivers created the Family Caregiver of the Year award in 2009 in an effort to recognize the extraordinary lives that many caregivers lead, and to not only reward them for their efforts in providing primary care for a loved one, but to also share their caregiving story with the world.

"The current audience for family caregiving is massive and growing rapidly," added Reynolds. "The quality of our selection panel mirrors the topic's importance in our current society." According to a new study by AARP the services that 40 million-plus Americans currently provide in caring for an elderly or disabled loved one is valued at $450 billion a year.

"Volunteering to serve as a judge for the National Family Caregiver Award, for the third year in a row, shows AARP's commitment to family caregivers on a very personal level," said AARP's Lutz. "Inspirational, instructional and heartbreaking stories emerge each year during the process of selecting the award's national winner. There's a lot we can learn about the pressures and rewards associated with family caregiving, just from analyzing each year's group of semifinalists." Applications for the National Family Caregiver of the Year award are being accepted until July 29.

The grand prize-winner will be announced October 24. For more information on this program or Homewatch CareGivers, visit www.homewatchcaregivers.com.

About Homewatch CareGivers Founded in 1980, Homewatch CareGivers is a large and highly experienced international provider of full-service home care for people of all ages. Caregivers are triple-screened and continually trained and supervised by healthcare professionals to provide reliable, compassionate, and highly skilled services in companion, personal and comprehensive care. Home care services are personalized for each client and customized care plans are administered through an international network of 113 franchise owners with 191 territories in 36 U.S. states including 17 international territories. Each office is locally owned and dedicated to ensuring quality of life for clients and peace of mind for their loved ones. Call 1-800-777-9770, visit www.homewatchcaregivers.com for company and caregiver information, or learn more at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwSRiMuM2DA.

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