with Dare Family Services, Inc., WNEU Social Work Advisory Board member.
WESTFIELD, MA – Beth Edelberg Cardillo, LSW, Executive Director of Armbrook Village Senior Living in Westfield, was recently awarded the 2016 Jim Quinn Human Service Award at the Western New England University’s Regional Social Work Conference. This award is given annually in memory of James N. Quinn, a social worker, child and family welfare advocate, lecturer and advisor who devoted over 30 years of his professional life to serving those in need.
Cardillo was recognized for her commitment to and advocacy of local seniors through her more than 17 years of work in the human services and senior living industries. She has been a crusader for the cause of Alzheimer’s and dementia research, working closely with the Alzheimer’s Association, co-chairing their annual walk year after year, co-chairing their Memories in the Making Art programs, facilitating an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Caregivers Support Group, launching Westfield’s first Memory Cafe and spearheading the Dementia Friendly Westfield initiative making the city the first on the East Coast to take on the enormous task of educating residents, municipal employees, business owners, emergency services and healthcare workers, and area elder care professionals about dementia in an effort to help destigmatize the affliction and the myths and misunderstandings that surround it.
“This award couldn’t be presented to a more deserving person,” said Tadd Clelland, Partner at Senior Living Residences, owner and operator of Armbrook Village, Cardillo’s employer. “The greater community has benefited so much from the spirit and dedication that Beth has imparted over many years through her own personal commitment to public education, Alzheimer’s awareness and senior advocacy.”
Previously, Cardillo has also worked as a professional at the Center for the Study of Institutional Alternatives, known today as the CHD, and in the world of traumatic brain injury when she became the director of the first state funded brain injury program in the country through the Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP) and The Carson Center. Early in her career, she spent 12 years at the helm of the East Mountain Head Injury Center and made a tremendous impact on the lives of many individuals and their families.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized,” said Cardillo. “It’s prompted me to reflect on all the reasons that I got into this line of work, and I still find them resonating today. While there are so many improvements we’ve made as a society, there is still so much work to be done. I hope to encourage new people to enter this field. I’d love to see new faces advocating for change and doing even more to make the world a better place for the disenfranchised.”