Excellence In Care Award

On Jan. 25, 2023, Leading Age New Jersey and Delaware honored professionals who are serving elders in various settings, at the Boathouse at Mercer Lake. Among those honored was New Jersey Eastern Star Home nurse Ella Zala, LPN.

Ella has been a nurse at NJ Eastern Star Home for 17 years, she was nominated by Dr. Dawn Giakas, Administrator, and Gus Guido, Director of Nursing, along with many families, physicians, and colleagues who felt she would be deserving of the Excellence in Care Award. This prestigious award recognizes direct caregivers from Leading Age New Jersey & Delaware member communities who demonstrate extraordinary talent, expertise, and dedication in provision of exceptional service to residents.

Ella embodies all the characteristics that comprise excellence in nursing: clinical acumen, attention to detail, collaboration, communication, proactiveness, confidence and compassion. “She places the resident’s well-being above everything else and will settle for nothing short of that,” said Giakas, Administrator of the New Jersey Eastern Star Home.