Two Waterbury Women Selected for Annual Healthcare Warrior Award

Two female home healthcare professionals employed at Assisted Living Services, Inc. (ALS) in Cheshire, Westport and Putnam, CT., today earned the prestigious Healthcare Warrior Award presented by the Hamden Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ingrid Narvaez and Tashima Watson both of Waterbury were among 13 honorees from the healthcare field, that included doctors, nurses, homecare aides, educators and support staff from various area health agencies, as well as fire and police departments. The 5th Annual Ceremony was held on April 9, 2025 at the Vue in Hamden with host Kathryn Hauser of WTNH-NewsChannel, 8 and more than 100 attendees.

“We are thrilled that our family company was represented on both the live-in caregiver and home healthcare staff categories,” said Mario D’Aquila, MBA and chief operating officer. “Ingrid and Tashima’s unwavering dedication to the entire eldercare industry and their above-and-beyond care to our specific senior clients deserve to be recognized every day.”

The Hamden mayor and fire and police chiefs were among the more than 100 people who attended the breakfast. The honorees were nominated by their peers and their stories were read to the audience. Each Healthcare Warrior received a framed certificate and heart shaped award.

D’Aquila shares a summary of Narvaez’ nomination; “Ingrid started as a scheduling manager and flawlessly stepped into the role of Client Services Manager after a short time. She is always available to her team, office staff, caregivers, clients and their families during office hours, as well as throughout the night, weekends and even on her days off. Ingrid never says “no” and instead figures out how to make things work. Her hard work, dedication and sound leadership always set high standards for herself, her team and caregivers.”

D'Aquila notes that Live-In Home Caregiver Tashima Watson joined Assisted Living Services in May 2022 and has been providing compassionate care for her current client - 92-year-old Emma since then. Further, she simultaneously supports Emma’s husband Elliott by taking the couple to their town green for a variety of concerts and activities, as well as bringing them for pedicures and out to lunch- things that they would not be capable of doing without her. In fact, when Watson recently noticed that Elliott was not behaving in his usual manner, she immediately brought him to the hospital and basically saved his life from breathing problems.

Watson’s credentials are further reiterated by Elliot, “Tashima Watson has become an integral and beloved part of our family. She is the best of all the caregivers that my wife and I have experienced. Her attention to every detail, her timely routine of care, and her loving ways continue to amaze and please us, so much so, that we have instructed our son to reward her with a substantial monetary gift upon our demise.”

As a result, Watson is a two-time Platinum Caregiver Award Recipient and a 2023 and 2025 Ultimate Platinum Caregiver Finalist at Assisted Living Services. D'Aquila explains that the Platinum Caregiver Award program was created to acknowledge caregivers’ contributions in a meaningful way, while simultaneously creating positive change within the homecare industry. Since its inception in March 2019, Assisted Living Services has awarded more than $370,000 to more than 200+ staff members. Each month, five caregivers earn a $1,000 monetary bonus accompanied by a beautiful crystal statue and certificate of merit in response to an employee and client survey administered by Homecare Pulse, a third-party company that measures customer satisfaction. Caregivers can also be recognized by their clients through 5-Star Google reviews, glowing written letters, or rave reviews via emails and phone calls. Additionally, Assisted Living Services management and staff members can nominate caregivers for excellent work performance such as covering extra shifts and perfect attendance.

The Hamden Chamber of Commerce created the Healthcare Warrior award in 2020 during the pandemic to “celebrate and shine a light on our local healthcare and essential workers in our community.”

“We are beaming with both pride and gratitude that our two valued employees were publicly recognized with this high-profile award,” adds D’Aquila. “Each day, homecare professionals- both on the front line and behind the scenes - make the decision to show up and be there for seniors who often don’t have anyone else and dramatically improve their quality of life as a result.”

About Assisted Living Services, Inc.

Since 1996, award-winning home care agency Assisted Living Services, Inc. (ALS) in Cheshire, Putnam and Westport has provided quality care to residents across Connecticut. Its unique CarePlus program blends personal care by over 700 employees and caregivers with technological safety and monitoring devices from sister company Assisted Living Technologies, Inc. ALS was ranked on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies and recognized by Home Care Pulse® as a “Best of Home Care Leader In Excellence”, a designation given to the best home care providers in the nation. Learn more by visiting www.assistedlivingct.com or calling 203.634.8668.

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