Ingrid Mwansa, a caregiver with Bellevue-based B’zoe Care, is the Home Care Association of America’s (HCAOA) 2026 Caregiver of the Year. HCAOA announced the award on Sept. 29, 2026, at its National Home Care Conference in Orlando, Fla.
HCAOA selected Ingrid from hundreds of nominations nationwide and five regional finalists. The award is sponsored by Paradigm and carries a $2,500 cash prize.
A Weekly Ferry Crossing to the San Juan Islands for More Than Three and a Half Years
Ingrid’s client lives in Washington’s San Juan Islands. For more than three and a half years, Ingrid has made the crossing every week without missing one.
The trip starts at home, where she books her ferry reservation online. Some weeks that means reloading the Washington State Ferries site until a sailing opens.
From there, Ingrid drives about an hour to the Anacortes terminal and waits up to an hour to board. The crossing takes up to another hour, followed by a 25-minute drive on the island.
“When I’m sitting in that ferry line, I’m not thinking about the wait. I’m thinking about her face when I walk through the door,” Ingrid said. “She is counting on me, so I will always find a way to get there.”
What the HCAOA Caregiver of the Year Award Recognizes
The Caregiver of the Year award is HCAOA’s national honor for frontline home caregivers. HCAOA member agencies nominate non-licensed direct care workers, nominees are grouped into five regions, and one finalist is named from each region.
The other 2026 finalists were Kudirat Akinshiju of Custom Home Care in Chicago, Lisa Ilomin of Home Helpers Home Care in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Elva “Mitsy” Rice of Village Caregiving in Morgantown, W.Va., and Rhonda Wilson of Bayada in Shelby, N.C.
“Ingrid’s story is a reminder of what caregivers do every day without recognition,” said Allison Dolan, HCAOA’s senior director of communications, marketing and education. “On behalf of HCAOA, I’m proud to celebrate Ingrid as our 2026 Caregiver of the Year.”
From Banking in Zambia to Nursing Assistant Certification
Caregiving is Ingrid’s second career. She worked in banking in Zambia before joining B’zoe Care nearly five years ago.
Ingrid started without a car of her own. She drove a company vehicle and saved until she could buy one.
She studied on her own time to earn her home care aide certification. In 2026, she earned her nursing assistant certification.
What Ingrid’s Care Looks Like Week to Week
Ingrid works live-in caregiver shifts four days a week and routinely steps in for extra days when her client needs her. She trains every new caregiver on her client’s team, sends a daily update to her client’s care manager, and takes part in every plan of care meeting.
Every Christmas, Ingrid and her client wear matching pajamas and watch her client’s favorite holiday movies together.
“Ingrid is the type of caregiver you hope all of your caregivers will strive to be,” said Tanya Gonzales, senior operations manager at B’zoe Care, who nominated her. “Her client’s whole care team tells us the same thing: Ingrid is the reason her client can keep living at home.”
Ingrid’s reliability reaches beyond one client. When B’zoe Care took on a rural client during a power outage that lasted more than a week, and no one else could make the drive, Ingrid covered the shifts on her days off. She stayed until a new caregiver could take over.
Two Consecutive Years in the National Final Five
Ingrid’s win marks the second straight year a B’zoe Care caregiver has reached the award’s final five. In 2025, B’zoe Care caregiver Lizzie Sinkala was one of five national finalists for the same award.
“Two years in a row in the national final five is not luck, and this year Ingrid brought it home,” said Nyonza Musinguzi, CEO of B’zoe Care. “She shows up week after week, whatever the ferry schedule does, and because of that, a family gets to keep someone they love at home.”
“When Ingrid’s name is on the schedule, we stop worrying,” said Prossie Lockett, who founded B’zoe Care in 2010. “In our line of work, there is no higher compliment.”
Ingrid Mwansa on stage with the other 2026 Caregiver of the Year finalists at the National Home Care Conference in Orlando.
Families who want to know how live-in care works with B’zoe Care can start with the live-in caregiver at home page. Caregivers who want to join Ingrid’s team can see open roles on the B’zoe Care careers page.
