Watertown Personal Care Attendant Honored at State House

The 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East sent out the following release:

Five personal care attendants - including Watertown PCA Noah Zizinga – will be honored at the State House on Thursday with the Paul Kahn Award for outstanding performance of their duties. PCAs serve elders and people with disabilities and work with nearly 20,000 residents across the state.

Zizinga was born in Uganda and came to the United States when he was in his mid thirties. For 14 years he worked as a PCA for Jimi Tierney, one of the co-founders of the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL).

About being a PCA, Noah said, “This work fulfilled me.” 

Noah has recruited others to work as PCAs. As Jimi’s PCA, Noah was a presence at BCIL and when Jimi died earlier this year, BCIL hired Noah as a skills trainer. Due to his diligence and hard work, his hours at BCIL were recently increased.

The award is sponsored by the PCA Home Care Workforce Council, representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for purposes of collective bargaining, and the PCA union. The awards are named in honor of Paul Kahn, a long time PCA employer and advocate who died in January 2010.

Having personal care assistants gave Paul the freedom to live on his own terms. It allowed him to pursue his art, writing, teaching and advocacy activities. Without PCAs Paul would have remained institutionalized and not have made his many contributions to the disability and independent living communities. This award, in his name, honors all of the PCAs who do this important work.

“Personal care attendants are vital to the home care system in Massachusetts and it’s an honor to work with them. Because of these selfless people, the elderly and people with disabilities can live at home, with the dignity and respect they deserve,” said Veronica Turner, executive vice president for 1199SEIU, the PCA union.