A Decade of Great Caregiving

The Mary Steibel CAREGiver of the Year Award inspires CAREGivers to strive for excellence. It creates a sense of pride in the fact that the Home Instead Senior Care franchise network recognizes, appreciates and rewards their hard work, dedication and service to others. Meet the 2007 CAREGiver of the Year.

John Dutille, CAREGiver of the Year 2008
Mid-Atlantic Region

When asked why he decided to become a Home Instead CAREGiver, John Dutille of Wilmington, NC-the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional CAREGiver of the Year-said, "I've always done caregiving for friends and family members, so the job just fit me. Everything fell into place."

Indeed, John's history of providing care to others began when he was a boy. His grandfather had Alzheimer's disease, so John became this older man's constant companion, keeping watch over him at home and accompanying him on hunting and fishing excursions.

"So I have real sympathy for families with members who have dementia, since I've dealt with this issue myself from a young age," he said.

John subsequently brought his caregiving talents to bear on behalf of his best friend Tom, who, at just 20 years of age, was in a car accident that put him in a coma for six months and left him in a lifelong fight with brain damage and seizures. Ultimately, John spent the next 35 years committed to helping meet the needs of his friend-accompanying Tom to church, taking him to doctor's visits, and even making sure Tom's bills were paid-eventually watching his friend walk again (with the help of canes) and get married.

In fact, several years ago, when John and his wife decided to leave for North Carolina to be closer to family, John stayed in New Hampshire for an extra year and moved in with Tom to ease the transition before the two finally went their separate ways. However, they remain close and John is committed to supporting his friend and assisting his progress however he can.

In 2004, after being an informal caregiver for most of his life, John decided to make this his newest chosen profession, joining Sarah and Darrell Blackman's Home Instead Senior Care franchise. "I liked the idea of helping seniors stay at home and be as independent as possible," he said. "We should never give up on them."

One of his early clients was losing his ability to speak, so the two established a specialized means of communication based upon "yes-no" questions, and even hand signals. Moreover, this client's wife, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, was living in a facility, so John took this man to visit her three times a week.

Interestingly, when John found that the two had a long history of international travel (much of it documented in slides and videos) he began bringing a screen and projector on some of these visits, thereby helping this older woman and his client relive their trips to various parts of the world-with these screenings becoming weekly events that were repeated many times over the course of the next few months.

Not surprisingly, then, one of this older couple's family members said, "If I'm ever in need of a CAREGiver, John would be at the top of my list."

Another client, this one with Parkinson's disease, started out withdrawn and struggling with his condition. However, John-who once worked as a foreman in a plant that manufactured aerospace equipment-soon established "common ground" with this former fighter pilot by discussing with him airplanes and flying.

Ultimately, according to John, the two grew "very close," with this CAREGiver even helping his client stop smoking. Moreover, John became the main cook in the house, preparing gourmet meals for this older man and his wife, a diabetic. In fact, according to one of their children, John was always especially attentive to the mother's dietary requirements, saying, "John was always looking out to ensure that she was eating the correct foods and following the meal schedule."

In fact, one year, John prepared them a special New Year's Eve dinner, at which point this woman began reminiscing about how much she and her husband used to enjoy dancing-something that the client unfortunately could no longer do. After they ate, the client put on music and John invited the wife to dance-with the older man's permission, of course. "He was smiling from ear to ear," said John of his client. So, the two danced around the kitchen, and all three rang in the New Year in a unique and special way.

An adult child of this particular couple wrote about John, "He not only provided excellent, outstanding care for my parents, but he put happiness back into their lives and brought smiles and laughter into the house. He was the standard by which all other caregivers were measured-and we haven't found anyone better yet."

And yet another family was so impressed with the care John provided to a loved one in an Alzheimer's community that they're making a donation in his name in support of a planned upgrade to this facility.

When asked what significance being the 2007 regional CAREGiver of the Year has for him, John simply said, "It's important to me because it means my management and colleagues think I'm good at my job."

And what special-and apparently, award-winning-characteristics does John Dutille believe he brings to his highly successful service as Home Instead CAREGiver?

Well, in his words, "I'm a guest in the clients' homes. I"m there because they want me to be, so I'm going to work to get along with them, and stay out of the limelight by doing a good, quiet job. And I think I can help their family members by sharing with them an outside perspective, and letting those who aren't in the area know what's happening day-to-day with their parents or older relatives. You know, just being a part of these seniors' households is heartwarming."