KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaPrime Healthcare at Home
Member Center:
Reported by: Britney Glaser
Recovering from a lengthy illness or surgery can lead to weeks, sometimes months, in a hospital room. But there is an alternative - we're taking you inside one home to show you how home healthcare has fast-tracked one patient to a full recovery.
When 75-year-old Nellie Perrodin was told she needed a knee replacement, she knew that driving from Hackberry to a hospital for physical therapy and doctors visits would be impossible. "I couldn't drive all that much," says Nellie, "and I'd have to get someone to bring me into town, so I figured if it would be easier for them to come by here - that I'd stay at home."
Nellie's doctor approved her for Home Health through West Calcasieu-Cameron Hospital. Three times a week, nurses aides and therapists make the trip to Cameron Parish to help Nellie get back to good health. "They'd bathe me and do whatever had to be done for my personal use," says Nellie, "and then the therapists came by. I couldn't have asked for better help."
The mix of personal care with a comfortable home setting is what registered nurse Janice Prater says makes a huge difference to patients. "They're able to get rest, they're amongst their own food - they eat better," says Janice, "They recover much faster with less complications in their own home than they do in the hospital"
For many older patients, their weekly visits from the medical staff are the only times they open their doors to company. "They need that laughter," says Janice, "they need the hugs and the companionship just as much as they need the medication."
Nellie's recovery with her left knee went so smoothly that when her right knee started failing, she knew who to call. "I was so pleased with what they had done the first time that I wanted them the second time."
*WCCH Home Health Services extend over a 50-mile radius from Sulphur. If you would like to find out if you are eligible for Home Health, call 337-527-4362..
