PO nursing assistant named Caregiver of the Year
Published 1:30 am Monday, January 19, 2026
In recognition of her compassionate care of seniors with Alzheimer’s, cancer and other maladies, Doris LaPorte of Port Orchard was named Caregiver of the Year, a national honor.
LaPorte, a certified nursing assistant with Visiting Angels in Port Orchard, was selected from 1,000 nominations from across the United States. For nearly 40 years, she worked with seniors in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and for the past decade in Kitsap County.
“I was in tears,” is how LaPorte described her reaction to receiving the award. “I didn’t expect it. In all the years I’ve been a certified nursing assistant, I think I was employee of the month a couple of times in different nursing homes. But I never even made it to the employee of the year.”
LaPorte was presented with the caregiver award in a presentation at Port Orchard City Hall. Present at the ceremony were some of her clients, their family members and Mayor Rob Putaasuu.
The recipient, who resides in Port Orchard with her husband, Cameron, was nominated by her employer, Marilyn Oswald, owner of the Visiting Angels office.
“Doris is just kind of the angel we look for. She is dependable, compassionate, and joyful with clients,” Oswald said. “She finds ways to add value and joy to their day. She has been caregiving her whole life in some form or another. She brings all that experience with her to the table to meet the client where they’re at and find ways to brighten their day.”
An example of her making the day better for her senior charges happened over the holiday when she took them to Port Orchard’s Holiday on Bay festivities. “She just helps improve their quality of life,” Oswald said.
Visiting Angels provides in-home, non-medical care for aging adults. The service assists seniors with activities of daily living. Clients can be recently widowed and adapting to life on their own or can suffer from dementia, ALS or other forms of cognitive decline, Oswald noted.
Laporte’s nomination stood out because of her unwavering compassion when working with clients, ability to work with ALS clients with dignity and respect, and skill in meeting clients with dementia where they are, per representatives of the selection committee.
In conjunction with the award, LaPorte was awarded $2,500. She plans to use the money to visit her sister, niece and grandson on the East Coast.
The caregiver competition was sponsored by Axis Care, a home care software company, and Engyj, an employment recruitment service.
