Seven Years In, Deanna Still Gets Excited About a Trip to the Zoo
Meet Deanna, our Sunny Days Mon Valley Featured Caregiver for the month of August!
Deanna has been a caregiver with Sunny Days Mon Valley for seven years now. Originally from Pittsburgh, she still calls the city home today. She’s the mom of four grown children — David, Noah, Rosemarie, and Brian — and has a daughter-in-law, Summer, in the mix too. At home, Deanna shares her life with her partner, Michael, and four cats: Chocolate, Baby, Sugar, and Ginger.
When she’s off the clock, Deanna is usually doing one of a few favorite things: exploring the city, browsing a bookstore, or settling into a coffee shop with an iced coffee in hand (sushi is her go-to when she wants a real meal out). She’s a big fan of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars trilogies, listens to just about every genre of music, and spends her downtime gardening, reading, or playing video games.
What Caregiving Means to Deanna
Ask Deanna what she loves most about the job, and she won’t hesitate: it’s getting to know the people she helps. Learning their history, their interests, and finding activities they can genuinely enjoy together — that’s the part that keeps her coming back. She’s also passionate about helping her clients stay social and connected to their community, not just cared for at home.
To Deanna, caregiving is simple at its core: it’s about helping people stay in their own homes, where they’re happiest and most able to keep living life on their own terms.
Her Advice for New Caregivers
Deanna’s advice to anyone new to caregiving comes down to a few things she holds onto herself:
- Lead with patience, understanding, and respect
- Remember you’re a guest in someone’s home — honor their routines and the way they’ve always done things
- Involve clients in everyday tasks by asking for their input, so they still feel useful and independent
- Look for simple, comfortable ways to get clients out into the community, always on their terms
A Trip to the Zoo, Years in the Making
One of Deanna’s favorite memories on the job happened almost by accident. She took a client to the zoo — somewhere they hadn’t been in many, many years. She says their whole face lit up watching the animals, and the visit brought back a flood of memories about taking their own kids there decades earlier, and how much the place had changed since.
The outing meant so much to both of them that it’s become a tradition. They still go back together.
Thank You, Deanna
We’re so grateful to have Deanna as part of the Sunny Days family. Her patience, compassion, and genuine commitment to helping clients stay independent and connected make a real difference in the lives she touches every day.
Congratulations, Deanna, on being our Featured Caregiver for the month of August!
