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Gainesville Resident Named Southeast Region Caregiver Of The Year

Beth McAvoy, a Right at Home employee, poses for her professional headshot. She said she feels honored to have been named the Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year for the Right at Home franchise, an in-home care service provider for the elderly.
Beth McAvoy, a Right at Home employee, poses for her professional headshot. She said she feels honored to have been named the Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year for the Right at Home franchise, an in-home care service provider for the elderly.

When Beth McAvoy began working as a caregiver with Right at Home, an in-home care service provider for seniors, she never expected to receive so much praise for something that came so naturally to her.

After just one year of working there, national franchise Right at Home named her the Southeast Region Caregiver of the Year. McAvoy, 53, is nominated for the national title, which will be awarded in late April.

Adopted and raised by her grandparents since the age of 3, she learned to care for others after her mother fell ill. It was this singular experience that gave her an understanding of how to best work with older people.

"I have a special respect for older people," McAvoy said. "I had always longed to help them from a very early age."

For Bill Youngblood, owner of Gainesville’s Right at Home franchise, McAvoy’s achievement embodies the quality in Gainesville’s senior resources and caregivers.

In the past year, Youngblood said he was able to witness how awe-inspiring McAvoy is in her element. One of the most intimate moments he witnessed McAvoy engage in was with a retired college professor in his 90s.

She spent every day with him in the hospital until he passed. It was an experience that bonded them, leaving McAvoy devastated after his death.

"I sat by his side hand-in-hand and spoke to him even though he was hard of hearing," McAvoy said. "It gave me a new perspective on what I do. I'm not just there for day-to- day activities. I'm there even when it's their time to pass."

Amidst the emotional turmoil following his death, Youngblood said her genuine compassion towards their patients is what makes her qualified to win the national title.

“The way [McAvoy] connects with people is impressive,” he said. “She understands the value of comforting [the elderly] and goes the extra mile to be a part of their lives.”

Her achievement shines a light on the available resources and healthcare benefits Gainesville offers the elderly community, Youngblood said. With an estimated population of 127,488, Gainesville residents over the age of 65 make up 8.3 percent of the overall population as of the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. That equates to about 10,581 residents.

Jim Antonucci, the executive director of a Gainesville retirement community known as  The Village, has seen a steady increase over the past few years in older residents making use of resources like Right at Home. With easy access to research and healthcare services offered locally, Antonucci has seen the number of senior residents at The Village grow.

"We were half the size we were just seven years ago," he said. "We've grown from about 200 residents to now over 711 residents."

Youngblood said that the construction of two new hospitals, which broke ground on Jan. 23, would only continue to attract older residents.

“Gainesville is an absolutely beautiful place to live with all that there is to do here,” he said. “But people tend to overlook just how much of a magnet it is with all the great healthcare this community offers.”

Now that McAvoy is a candidate for the National Caregiver of the Year, Gainesville is receiving recognition for achievements that often go unnoticed, said Wes Riley, a University of Florida student. Riley, who volunteered in assisted living homes during high school in Jacksonville, is glad to see the city’s services for seniors receiving recognition.

“There are so many students living in Gainesville because of UF that we forget that there are people our grandparents' age here who need help,” Riley said. “It’s hard for students to look beyond this collegiate bubble we’re stuck in sometimes.”

McAvoy's one-year anniversary working with Right at Home passed on March 27.

While she has only been employed a short time, she is honored to have received the national nomination for a job that means so much to her.

“Providing stability in times of need is a real blessing for me,” McAvoy said. “To be a part of their lives is an honor.”

Damian is a reporter for WUFT News and can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.