We Are IH: Care aide helps residents experience independence


Name: Manilyn Dantes (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Care Aide / Health-Care Assistant
Years of Service: 10
Worksite: Cottonwoods Care Centre
Community: Okanagan/Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: Syilx
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: Be the reason someone smiles today. Never stop learning because life never stops teaching.
Manilyn Dantes is a care aide / health-care assistant born and raised in the Philippines. She’s been working and living in the Central Okanagan for more than 10 years.
Manilyn has grown her career at Cottonwoods Care Centre in Kelowna supporting residents and assisting with daily activities that encourage maximum independence.
Learn more about Manilyn’s journey with IH

During her time at Cottonwoods Care Centre, Manilyn has been drawn to the person-centered philosophy that the centre’s team embodies. She has learned how to support people’s choices, help them function at their highest level, and provide them with the best quality of life.
Happy, easygoing, kind and friendly, Manilyn has the skills and talents needed to give a high level of care to residents while also working as a team with a dynamic group of health-care professionals who have created a strong bond together.

“I chose this career because I get lots of satisfaction from helping people, from responding to their needs and from making a positive difference in people's lives.”
Manilyn was first inspired by the results she saw in those in her care. With her resourceful and reliable nature, she witnessed the positive outcomes of her work, and how it directly affects the lives of residents. Seeing those results encourages her to continue her work. “It’s important to me to build connections with those in my care, to stay by their side and to get to know them so I can learn about them and give them exactly what they need,” she shares.
Manilyn wants to keep working for Cottonwoods because she’s motivated by the positive reinforcement and genuine appreciation for her hard work she receives from her leadership.
Outside of work, Manilyn focusses her time on relationship building through family bonding and getting together with friends.
Manilyn nominates Lori Hickerty, registered nurse, to keep We Are IH going.
“I have known and worked with Lori for a few years and have always found her dependable, efficient, reliable and unfailingly punctual. In fact, I have never worked with a person who gives as much attention to detail as she does.” – Manilyn Dantes
Explore Care Aide / Health-Care Assistant jobs at Careers@IH
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