Lisa Cuellar, Social Worker at Capital City Hospice
Every nomination that is submitted is sent directly to the Hospice Caregiver Award committee. We have an opportunity to read each submission before the selection committee ever sees them. When the nomination for Lisa came in, I read it and then immediately called her nominator, Stephanie Hemmer. What an amazing story of perseverance and determination to help a family during their most vulnerable time.
Needless to say, after the selection committee had time to review the nominations, they unanimously selected Lisa as the March winner of the Hospice Caregiver Award. We made arrangements for Kevin Schoedinger and I to surprise her in front of a group of her peers. She was so appreciative of the nomination and the gift basket.
Here is what Stephanie had to say about Lisa:
I am nominating Lisa Cuellar MSW for the Hospice Caregiver Award. Lisa works so hard to provide her patients with whatever they need. She always uses the Hope Foundation money for each patient, providing things from clothing and bed linens, to fidget blankets, books, CD’s, and puzzles. Lisa makes it a priority to explain the additional therapies that we offer such as music therapy, massage therapy and volunteers. Most of the referrals for these disciplines come from Lisa. Recently we lost a patient, Teah Grigsby to Huntington’s disease. This case was especially difficult for the whole team due to the severe neglect she was experiencing at the facility where she lived in, here in Westerville. Teah was 47 years old with three kids in high school and a spouse. Unfortunately, the family was extremely poor, and the spouse had to move to the west side in order to afford rent. He also had some challenging medical issues, was unable to drive, and did not own a car. Lisa found out that he moved on May 1, 2024, and at the request of the spouse she tried to get Teah transferred to a facility closer to her husband. Lisa worked harder than anyone I’ve ever seen, trying to make this happen for Teah, as she was becoming depressed due to no visitors. From May 1, 2024, until she passed away on March 5, 2025, Lisa entered 52 narrative coordination notes, documenting all attempts made to get Teah out of the horrible situation she was in, updating her spouse, and communications made to other facilities. Even when Lisa ran into roadblock after roadblock, she never gave up. She pursued this for almost 10 months until I sadly had to tell her that it was too late, Teah was starting to decline and transition, making it impossible to move her. Throughout these 10 months, I witnessed Lisa working tirelessly with not only facility placement but trying to do everything she could to help this patient live her last days with comfort and dignity. She purchased a tablet from the Hope Foundation approximately nine months prior to her death so that Teah could communicate with her husband and children. However, the facility failed to get this set up for her, even after three care meetings where it was discussed. Teah enjoyed going outside to smoke with her husband before he moved, so Lisa provided her with devices to ensure Teah wouldn’t burn herself, as she was losing all fine motor skills. After her husband moved, she didn’t have anyone to purchase cigarettes, so Lisa would buy them for her, not asking for reimbursement, just to provide something that she knew Teah enjoyed. Lisa fought for Teah’s patient rights at the facility that were being taken from her daily. Lisa would try to reach out to the facility to communicate; however, they never answered the phone or responded to emails, so she would drive over to resolve multiple issues. Lisa spent more time with Teah than she had to because that is what our patient needed. Over the past 10 months, I saw a deep passion for providing the best care that she could and watched as she tried to cope with the unfair treatment provided by this horrible place. Lisa never stopped fighting - from care meetings to getting the Ombudsman involved, but to no avail. Nothing we did could repair the emotional damage caused by being neglected. This is just one example of the hard work and dedication I have seen from Lisa, from working with her in the field as a RNCM, and now from the perspective of a PCM. She has impressed me time and time again. I think she is so deserving of the nomination and really deserves to be recognized for her hard work, determination, and dedication that she provides to our patients daily. Thank you so much for considering!
Congratulations, Lisa. You exemplify what it means to be a hospice caregiver.
If you know someone like Lisa and would like to nominate them for the Hospice Caregiver Award by Schoedinger, just visit our website https://www.thecaregivingtree.com/hospice-caregiver-award/nominate-a-caregiver. Be sure to give examples about why this person deserves to be nominated.