Co-owner John Hilsher is a champion for in-home care in Austin. His passion and mastery of customer service has reached the guru level. His extensive collection of tools and 1970's era home secured his position as the staff handyman as well. Away from work he can be found playing a never ending game of tug-of-war with his dogs and is anxiously awaiting his first child with his lovely wife.
Waiting for the Magic Man
Long before Anna and I started Care At Home in Austin, even before Nancy became a nurse, I moved from a small Texas town to Austin with a dream… to play the guitar.
As I slowly realized the improbability of world wide recognition as a musician, I also noticed that more and more industries were being acquired by large corporations and a instituting a one size fits all big-box culture.
Much of my professional experience in Austin has been spent trying to convince large corporations that small details can make a big difference in customer service. In-home care is really all about customer service and the small details. During a new client assessment, one of the questions we ask is , “What are your hobbies and interests?” One older gentleman listed the guitar and said he wanted to learn to play. I told him I used to play and asked him how it was going. He pointed to the acoustic guitar case in the corner and said, “Not too good.”
Later, his caregiver told me that he talks about his guitar everyday and brings it up with everyone who comes to the house. One day, after visiting with him, Anna told me that he said to her, “I am waiting for the magical person to walk through that door who can teach me how to play the guitar.”
Our first lesson began last Thursday. It began the same way my fist lesson began -- after replacing a broken string, we tuned the guitar.