POTSDAM
– Eric J. Matott is an active man. He and his wife, Stephanie run the Northern
Family Motel, and in addition this past fall he was in the midst of a campaign
for the village board.
Little
did he know he was just weeks away from a lengthy hospital stay, followed by
complications that required home health care.
Mr.
Matott became ill and found himself in the hospital undergoing surgery. He was
then discharged, under the belief that his recovery was on track. However,
three months into his recovery, he experienced a setback, which led to another
operation this past February.
Regaining
his health required time and continued medical care. Because of the need for
ongoing care, Northern Lights Home
Health Care was a welcomed solution, allowing him to remain home and
involved in the family business.
Following
his release from the hospital, he received visits from a registered nurse with
Northern Lights every day. He said those visits were reduced to three days a
week, then twice a week and finally once per week.
Although,
he no longer requires home care, Mr. Matott said he is going to miss the
regular visits.
“Every
single nurse who came was great,” he said. “Over time you kind of develop
friendships with them.”
One
nurse who visited regularly was Allison Cole. Ms. Cole was also the first nurse
to visit once his home care began.
“I was
kind of apprehensive at first,” Mr. Matott said. “I’m a little hesitant to let
people into my home (which also doubles as the office for the motel) and then
to have to show them my body, but Allison was very professional from the get
go.”
Mr.
Matott said during his initial appointment, he lifted up his shirt to show her
“the wound.” Then as she began examining it, he said he faked laughter, as if
he was being tickled, noting that he wasn’t actually being tickled.
“She
said, ‘Alright now, we’ve broken the ice.’” he recalled.
When
asked how Northern Lights aided in his recovery, Mr. Matott replied, “They were
my recovery. It was important for me to get back on track so I could be doing
what I’m supposed to be doing and Northern Lights helped get me there.”
Mr.
Matott said he feels like home care is an option that’s not taken advantage of
enough in the medical community.
“I feel
like more people should be discharged to home care,” he said. “People can
recover a lot more comfortably in their homes.”
Ms.
Cole agreed. “Depending on their diagnosis, a lot of times people can recover
better in their own homes. It’s a more positive environment and they have more
energy to put into their recovery when they’re consistently getting a good
night’s sleep in their own bed,” she said.
Northern
Lights is owned and operated through a partnership that includes United
Helpers, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and Hospice
and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley.
