Year Honored: 1994
Birth: 1933
Biography
Eleanor L. Cain started her campaign for the elderly as a volunteer, where she quickly realized the needs of the elderly were not being met. She started job training and job placement programs for the elderly and was instrumental in establishing the first nutrition programs for seniors. Cain was appointed director of the Delaware Health and Social Services Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities in 1973.
In her role as director, she was the first woman to be appointed as division director in the Delaware State Government, and she excelled. During her tenure, her budget grew from $1 Million to $24 Million. Cain had a “talent for innovative thinking and leadership that drew the attention of the U.S State Department, which involved her in training a delegation from Russia to plan and implement services for the senior citizens in their country.”
During her 30-year career, Cain established numerous support services such as home-delivered meals, homemaker services, and more in order to allow at-risk seniors to remain in their homes with help from social workers. For her work, she was awarded the Delaware Gerontological Society Advocacy Award (1992), the Delaware State Senate Tribute for Services to Older Persons (1992), and the Salvation Army of Delaware CARE Award for volunteer service to Delaware and the Salvation Army of Russia (1999).
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Sources and Additional Readings
Delaware Commission for Women. (2006). Twenty-Fifth Anniversary: Hall of Fame of Delaware Women: The Legacy Endures.
