It qualified as a senior-care miracle.
Two months after Home Instead® Care Professional Oludotun “Dot” Oladosu had first arrived to help Mr. J., an 81-year-old client, he began taking steps without his walker. “It was something Mr. J. wanted to try. I allowed him to attempt it, but only if I was a standby assist where I was either directly behind him or beside him,” Dot recalled. “Safety is our top priority.”
Dot didn’t take credit for the client’s marked improvement in mobility, but perhaps she should have. Through her encouragement, Mr. J. slowly progressed to the point where he was safely going up and down the stairs in his home. “Mr. J. was doing exercises on his own when I first got there. Mr. J. does them now before I arrive for late-morning shifts. Since he tries to do his exercises twice a day, he asks me to remind him to do them in the afternoon,” Dot explained. “Of course, I am happy to do that.”
Mr. J. showers and dresses himself. At the start, Dot had put his shoes on. Now he can do it by himself. The client had a weekend Care Pro before Dot was assigned to him about a year ago for weekdays. Now he wants just Dot. In fact, when the client overheard a brief telephone conversation in which Dot had turned down a request to help another client, he was worried. Dot recalled the conversation after she ended the call. “My client asked me, ‘Are you leaving me?’ I told him that I was not. He always wants to make sure I am coming back,” Dot said.
“Mr. J.’s wife died almost a year before I joined him. Next month, November, will be two years since she died. He lives by himself. Mr. J. misses his wife and talks about her a lot. He has lots of stories. He sometimes sheds tears when he talks about her. He kisses his wedding ring. They were married for more than 50 years,” Dot pointed out. “He is very close to his daughter, who is married with three children, and he talks to her every day. She is a very nice lady.”
Dot added, “He has not given up on life. In fact, his mind-set is such that he acts as if he is 45 or 50. However, sometimes doubts creep in. He has a good memory, but he complains that he thinks his memory is diminishing. I always tell him that his memory is better than most others his age. And he’s a very smart man. Companionship is huge. He wants to eat when I am there. He has a late breakfast – or you could call it an early lunch – that I make after I arrive. He handles his medications, and I will provide occasional reminders. Overall, it is a good experience, one where I enjoy helping him.”
For her efforts, Dot was honored as a Care Pro of the Quarter at the Home Instead franchise in St. Charles, Illinois. The award-winning office, owned by Kelly Hutchison, serves the Fox River Valley, including Elgin, Geneva, Batavia, Campton Hills, North Aurora, Plato Center, South Elgin, Warrenville, West Chicago and Winfield. Announcing Dot’s selection, Home Instead Staffing Manager James Wall said, “Dot displays Home Instead’s guiding principles of ‘Build Trust, Take the Lead and Share Your Heart.’ ”
Dot previously had worked for Home Instead in Naperville in 2020 and 2021. After relocating to Missouri and then returning to Chicagoland, Dot joined Home Instead in St. Charles in October 2023. “Working for Home Instead is a very good thing. Home Instead works with seniors, and
I really love this kind of caregiving,” Dot said.
“I love making the clients happy. I think among the biggest challenges that seniors face is loneliness. They are in need of companionship. The help that I provide is not a strain on my part. I love to keep them company. I enjoy it, and I am happy with it. I put myself in their shoes. I know I will be old someday and will not want to be lonely.”
The Care Professional job fits Dot well. “Everyone aspires for a better position in life no matter what they are doing. For me at this time, Home Instead is good. This is what I want. The office staff is respectful and caring.”
Home Instead Care Professionals are screened, trained and insured. For inquiries about employment, please call (630) 274-5050 or apply online. For further information about Home Instead services, visit our website at homeinstead.com/location/458.