A North Vancouver woman is being recognized for her compassion and high-quality work in caregiving for more than a decade.
Dina Alvarado was given the 2024 BC Care Provider of the Year award in the home health category at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria earlier this month as part of the annual BC Care Awards.
“I’m in shock, I haven’t processed it yet,” Alvarado said. “If you put your mind to something, you can always reach what you want.”
The care provider of the year award is given to an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to quality, compassion and excellence in delivering or supporting the delivery of care to residents or clients. B.C. Minister of Health Josie Osborne presented the award to this year’s winners.
Alvarado has worked at the North Shore branch of the home care services company Hero Home Care for the last three years. Before that, she spent over a decade at Sunrise Lynn Valley.
The North Vancouver resident became a caregiver after her grandmother was diagnosed with lung cancer and couldn’t give her the proper care she needed.
After being diagnosed, her grandmother was told she only had three months to live. Alvarado’s family is from El Salvador and moved to Canada in the early 1980s. Her grandmother’s wish was to spend her remaining time back home.
“I told her that I was going to study this because I wasn’t able to look after her because I didn’t know what to do, I knew nothing about it," Alvarado said. "I said, ‘But I will take care of other people, and that will be because of you.’”
Her care has shined through since her career started, with patients praising her kindness. But Alvarado’s impact has also caught onto others, including her daughter Bethany. Alvarado’s daughter also works at Hero Home Care while studying medical esthetics.
“Always with a kind attitude and willing to help and because of that, she inspired me to do what she does because she always gives her best to others and respects every individual,” Bethany said in the press release. “My mother is a hard-working lady and will always continue to inspire me to continue what she does.”
Alvarado says it’s an honour to receive an award like this and is proud to see how far along she’s come since she began her career.
“I wasn’t expecting it because I always think other people are better than me, but I’m told don’t ever think that way,” she said. “So, I’m just very proud of [myself].”
Other 2024 care provider of the year winners include Lisa Bysterveld, a licensed practical nurse and team lead at retirement centre Elim Village in Surrey in the assisted living category, and Avril McLeod, food services supervisor at assisted living facility Luther Court in Victoria.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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