Mark Patterson, PCA, has been named Above & Beyond Award winner for June. CVHHH gives out the award monthly to celebrate the outstanding work of one employee on behalf of CVHHH staff, the agency, or the central Vermont community. Mark was nominated by a colleague, who said: “Mark goes above and beyond to meet his clients’ needs, and builds great relationships with the people he cares for.”
Mark was his mother’s primary caregiver when she developed dementia and through the end of her life. When his mother died, Mark realized that he did not want to return to working in retail. He visited CVHHH’s former Hospice & Palliative Care Manager, Diana Peirce, who hired Mark provisionally. This was 12 years ago.
“My reward is knowing that every single day, my work matters and benefits a central Vermonter. There isn’t a doubt when I come home that my time was well used. The challenge is that every day is different. One day, I may be cleaning for a client, and the next day, I may be assembling a person’s furniture. You never know what the day will bring.”
Mark says that his patience and empathy make him good at his job: “I can put myself in the place of my clients, which helps me figure out how to best meet their needs.”
Mark lives in Barre with his wife and loves reading comic books, drawing, watching movies, and the game show Jeopardy!