Editor’s note: McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living are profiling the McKnight’s 2022 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 5 through Aug. 10. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

Lynn Weidner and associate Brandon Kingsmore have raised their voices advocating for better respect, rights and wages for home care workers.

The pair met 11 years ago. Kingsmore, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, requires assistance for most of his activities of daily living. Weidner, a member of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and United Homecare Workers of Pennsylvania, has been Kingsmore’s full-time caregiver for nine years. Together, over the past two years, they have mobilized fellow home care workers and brought attention to their cause. 

“They are committed to lifting up the voices of seniors and people with disabilities who depend on quality care, and educating the public about the importance of an investment in care and care jobs,” BerlinRosen Account Executive Phoebe Rogers said.

Through this advocacy, the pair has met with President Joe Biden, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA). They recently spoke at a rally attended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Y) and almost a dozen more members of Congress. 

Outside of her work with Kingsmore, Weidner, who has worked in healthcare for almost 20 years, has fought for COVID-19 protections for home care workers, including hazard pay, personal protective equipment, paid sick leave, affordable healthcare and more.

“Lynn Weidner is not only an exceptional caregiver, she is a rising star in the care advocacy world and has passionately used her voice to bring change for Brandon and the millions of people struggling to access and provide care,” Rogers said. 

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare. Silver sponsors include OnShift and PharMerica, and the Bronze sponsor is Reliant Rehabilitation. Table sponsors included Dreamscape, Gojo/Purell and Sound Physicians.