Her Story
About Lillian
Lillian Cruz serves as Center Director for Active Home Care in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She has worked in the healthcare field, specifically in senior and disability care, since 1990. Over the course of her career, Cruz advanced from a home health aide providing personal care for 12 years to her current leadership role managing day-to-day operations for a center serving 62 members with intellectual disabilities, mental health conditions, or dementia. Her specialty is dementia care, though she also works with adults who have mental health disabilities and autism. Cruz developed and launched the NextGen program to support younger adults aging out of other services, incorporating recreation therapy, social pragmatics, and life skills. She holds a master's degree in gerontology and is pursuing an MBA. Cruz is nationally board certified in hospice care and maintains memberships in the Alzheimer's partnership of the South Shore and Northeastern New Hampshire as well as the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. She has volunteered as an end-of-life doula at the CROI Health hospice house. Cruz values treating everyone with dignity and building innovative, inclusive programming so that all individuals can live their best lives possible regardless of ability.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Lillian
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The greatest piece of advice I've received is that you're not on an island by yourself. Always be open to new ideas, and from your staff, even if they're like your subordinate staff, it doesn't matter, or anyone, really. Be open to new creativity, you know, that people have. Always be open to a new idea, or a new way of doing things, a new way of trying things.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
To be open-minded, that's one thing I had to learn, like, don't assume, like, when people have dementia, you know, don't feel like if you met someone with dementia, I tell them you just met one person with dementia, but they're all different. The same thing with when people have maybe a disability, not everyone is the same, so don't assume what they can do or what they can't do. Ask them, you know, and just be very open-minded to learn.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values are that I treat everyone with dignity, and I feel like everyone should have a chance to live their best life according to where they are, and whatever no matter what their abilities are, that they should live their life live their best life possible. So I'm always looking for like to build innovative and inclusive programming. Everyone should have a dignified and be able to really thrive, and live the best life possible.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.