North Oakville Today
September 3, 2009
Meet Nurse Next Door
It's hard on a family when the term 'retirement home' or 'long-term care' start popping up in conversation with a senior. But with Nurse Next Door, seniors' golden years can remain golden.
The home healthcare company, celebrating their first anniversary in Oakville later this month, provides in-home care solutions for seniors who want to remain independent.
"People are more comfortable in their own home," says Lori Paton, RN, RTT. "There's a lot of emotion... sometimes it's a spouse, or even a pet. The more practical aspect of it is when you are in a retirement home setting, the majority of the money you're spending per month is not necessarily going to the care you are receiving. You have to cover the costs of room and board, etc. Whereas if you're receiving care in your home, 100 per cent of your money goes to your hands-on care."
"For the most part, the majority of people want to remain in the home in which they're comfortable, where they've raised their own family," adds Chris, Lori's husband and partner. "We say that no matter how nice a facility is, it's not your home."
Nurse Next Door started in British Columbia in 2001, and over time expanded within the province. But when Lori was searching for care for her own mom, who was suffering from Ovarian cancer and was about to undergo chemotherapy treatments, she wanted home healthcare to augment the care she was already receiving.
"I looked around at what was available and I wasn't satisfied," says Lori. "I found Nurse Next Door on the web and really liked the company philosophy, and their culture based around core values. I hadn't seen that in some of the other companies. I was disappointed that it wasn't available in Ontario. But it got us thinking: it might be an opportunity to bring services to the community. We knew that if we needed these services, others would need them as well."
In September 2008, Nurse Next Door was born in Oakville. And it's been a great success ever since.
"We've had very positive reactions in the community," Lori says proudly. "With our pink cars we drive around in, we get a lot of attention. We've been stopped while getting gas and asked about our services. I've been followed down the road to the store by someone wanting a card, I've been in a drive-thru and had someone ahead of me come and get my card."
"What's really cool is when people we provide care for tell us, 'I don't know what I'd do without you guys,' or, 'you've changed my life.' We provide services, yes, but what we really do is provide peace of mind to seniors and often just as important, their families."
The care provided by Nurse Next Door isn't always full 24-hour medical coverage by a registered nurse (although that service is available).
"Seniors are relatively independent, but where they struggle is getting the groceries, or getting down the basements stairs with laundry," says Lori. "Just by easing those particular sorts of challenges, it frees them and allows them to remain independent and enjoy the other things they still do."
The process is pain free. Place a call to Chris or Lori at the Nurse Next Door office and arrange a no-charge consultation.
"I do a nursing assessment and look at specific needs of the individual," says Lori. "Everything is done on an individual basis because every situation is different. At that point we can look at how to proceed, but there's no commitment necessary."
Seniors who are resistant to the idea of receiving in-home care can even try out one shift to find out how they feel about it: there is no minimum number of shifts required.
"It's important that they understand there's no commitment in terms of a minimum amount of time they have to use our service," adds Lori. "We don't require a down payment, and clients can change their services with 24- hour notice."
To contact Lori and Chris at Nurse Next Door, call 905-257-3452, email Oakville@nursenextdoor.com or visit online at www.nursenextdoor.com.
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