Photo column by Russ Dillingham/In Sight sig

The best medicine

When Irene Therriault walks through the door it’s like a burst of sunlight coming through a window. In fact, many of her clients call her Sunshine.

After 26 years of working as a home health aide for Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice in Lewiston, Therriault still loves her job – and it shows.

“It’s a great feeling, doing something good for others,” she says. “For many of them it’s the only outside contact they may have all day, so I try to make them laugh and brighten their day.”

Starting at 7 a.m. five days a week, she visits six or seven clients a day. “I’m exhausted at the end of the day, but it feels good to have done something nice. We cry too much and worry about too many things, so I like to bring a little laughter and make people smile.”

The only drawback is that most of her clients never get better. They are usually older and in poor health. “But many still have a lot of interesting things to say and we talk and laugh and have a good old time. I’m always learning something from them.”

Born and raised in New Auburn, Therriault began her career as a medical technician at a local nursing home. After a number of years she realized that was not the life for her.

“It was too confining, with so many rules,” she says. “I like the independence of being on my own and spending real quality time with my clients. Each one of them is different and I adapt and can be creative with how I approach them, depending on their situation. The one constant is that I make them laugh. That’s the best medicine.”