Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village Associates Win Industry Award

Two Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village associates, Laurie Dugan and Tina Finnegan, received coveted awards from LeadingAge Missouri during the organization’s annual conference in September.

LeadingAge Missouri is a trade association dedicated to serving the needs of providers of healthcare, housing and services for the elderly. Its annual awards honor individuals and organizations that embody excellence in nonprofit aging services leadership, are models of quality and innovation, and are making outstanding contributions to the field that merit national recognition.

Laurie Dugan, certified nursing assistant (CNA), Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village, received the prestigious Direct Service Employee of the Year Award. This award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the mission and philosophy of a LeadingAge Missouri aging services member and/or has demonstrated unusual commitment to preserve the dignity, well-being, and independence of older Missourians and/or adults with disabilities.

“It takes a special person to be a CNA in a senior care community,” said Michael Roth, executive director, Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village. “It takes an even more special person to work as a CNA on the night shift, and an even more exceptional person to have done this for 24 years! Laurie’s longevity speaks to the type of person she is in an industry with high burnout and turnover. There have been many changes in the industry during her career, but she is always ready to learn a new way of doing things. She had a person-centered mentality before it was an industry standard.”

Dugan was recognized for her ability to know each resident and provide personalized service according to their needs. She was also honored for her work with the residents living in the special memory care neighborhood at Sherbrooke Village.

“For the past 12 years, she has been the night shift associate on our special care ‘neighborhood,’ providing much-needed stability and consistency to those resident’s lives,” Roth said. “Laurie not only focuses on her memory care ‘neighborhood,’ she watches out for the whole community of residents. She is a shining example to her fellow employees as a dedicated and resident-centered associate, and we are honored to have her on our team.”

Tina Finnegan, assistant administrator, Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village, received the E. Willis Piehl Award. This award is presented to an employee who has made an outstanding contribution to the mission and philosophy of a LeadingAge Missouri provider member.

Finnegan has been dedicated to the Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village community for 20 years. She joined the community as an occupational therapist and has taken on additional leadership responsibility within the community and regionally over the years. She was recognized for her deep-rooted connection to Ascension Living’s values, which allow her to be a servant leader and inspiration to associates and residents.

During Finnegan’s tenure, Ascension Living leaders and Sherbrooke Village associates have come to rely on her abilities to listen, encourage and step in to lend a helping hand when needed. In addition to playing an instrumental role a Sherbrooke Village expansion project, Finnegan also took on an interim regional market leader role for the national Ascension Living. Even with her new responsibilities, her team says she remains fully engaged at Sherbrooke Village.

“Tina is always there for all employees,” Roth said. “In these days of everyone saying, ‘I'm too busy,’ she takes the time to listen and assist wherever needed. She regularly analyzes community and resident needs and presents solutions to answer everyday challenges we all face in this industry.”

During the presentation ceremony, Finnegan was honored for starting a thriving wellness program that has benefited not only Sherbrooke Village residents, but the greater St. Louis senior citizen community. Since she started the program in 2005, it has grown from 32 members to 850 in 2018.

To learn more about Ascension Living Sherbrooke Village’s assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and short-term rehabilitation services, visit www.ascensionliving.org/sherbrooke.