There aren’t too many men who go into home health care, but Hank Sjostrom (pronounced Sherstrom) has been in it since the 1960s, helping people and in turn helping himself.

Hank comes from a Swedish family where his mother was a health care aide, and so it was a natural for him to seek out the very people he had heard stories about throughout his youth — the older folks. He enjoys listening to the tales, the adventures people have had, so he makes the perfect companion, sometimes learning more about a person than what their families know! He doesn’t mind if it’s an old story, he has no judgment about its accuracy; he can go with the flow, enjoy the anecdote and wait for the succeeding one to take him to the next escapade.

Hank sees himself as an adventurer and punster. He began life in Canada and came to the U.S. to attend Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., an evangelical Lutheran college. He received his degree in geology, and although that is of interest to him it was his roommate’s parents’ care that lured him into the health care field.

His first clients were on-Island, a wealthy couple that needed help with their daily routine. With them he traveled a good deal and begin to fill out the adventures his spirit sought. Working to make a better life for this elderly couple set the stage for Hank’s true vocation. “I should have become a nurse or worked in a psychiatric hospital,” he said but has no regrets about his chosen field; he just feels he could have been an even better caregiver in one of those disciplines.

An accident almost brought things to a disastrous halt early on in his career. Before there was safety glass in shower stalls he fell against the door and it shattered. Had it not been for his girlfriend he would have quickly bled out and died — his left arm is a mass of scars. To this day he thanks the woman who saved his life and later became his wife in 1966. They were divorced on 9/11 — a momentous day in many ways.

Speaking about his Swedish heritage, he feels that his political leanings are socialist in that everyone receives health care. “Sure, there are higher taxes, but you don’t need as much money when you don’t have to pay for medical bills,” he said.

Hank Sjostrom received the home health care aide of the year award after 20 years of service. For medical reasons he stopped working full-time, but he continues to be one of the most sought-after unofficial aides at Island Elderly Housing. He can always be counted on to pick someone up for a ride to dinner or to an appointment. He is the all-around good guy. He runs the movies on Thursday evenings at the community dinner — which he loves since he doesn’t cook; he wouldn’t mind if the community dinner was every night — his favorite movie is Every Which Way But Loose.

A big Red Sox and Blue Jays fan, Hank is always happy no matter who wins; baseball is his favorite sport. He’s not a fisherman, but loves the rural setting and the isolation of the Vineyard. What he doesn’t like is the summer traffic and the rudeness he encounters.

He has been sober for 15 years and has not smoked in seven years. “When the world gets too small, I know it’s time to go to a meeting!” he said.

Hank’s favorite game is recalling a smell and then describing it. His choice? The smell of gingersnap cookies baking in his mother’s oven, very early on Christmas morning.

Donations to Island Elderly Housing Inc. help support community dinners and the Blueberry Van for Island elderly and disabled family members. They may be sent to Island Elderly Housing Inc., 60B Village Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.