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p.r.n. Health Service Combines Care With Trust
by Lois Thomson
(First of a two-part series on p.r.n. Health Services.)
The initials "p.r.n." stand for "pro rata nata," a medical term which means, "as needed." And that's precisely why they were chosen as the name of an area organization which offers home care for people—because the care is given on an "as needed" basis.
The staff of p.r.n. Health Services will do as much as caring for someone on a daily basis to as little as coming in for an hour twice a week to bathe a patient. And yet the latter is not such a "little" task because it can mean a great deal to everyone involved.
In today's world, it's not unusual for parents of Boomers to want to maintain their independence for as long as possible. And with people being more active and following healthier lifestyles, sometimes a little occasional care is all they need to remain on their own. On the other hand, the work demands and travel schedules faced by Boomers in their careers often means they aren't available to give the care at that critical time. Enter p.r.n.
Founded 25 years ago, p.r.n. provides high-quality, in-home care to the extent needed. As Gina Luffy, president, explains, "The way the service works, a person goes to the doctor and the doctor will recommend home care, so they come to us. Or if a family wants to hire us privately to help them, we can do that. We do a lot of short-term care, maybe if people are going on vacation and want someone to watch over a parent, say to help put them to bed at night.
"That's the difference between a private duty nurse and home health care: eight hours a day vs. one hour." Luffy added that the service p.r.n. offers isn't just for the elderly. "We take care of everybody. We have a good-size pediatric division, and we take care of any age who needs medical care at home."
And of course they handle more than just the short-term requirements. As Luffy explained, one of the unique aspects of p.r.n. that contributes to the organization's success is that, "We're local and we're pretty versatile to people's needs. We don't have a standard package that we offer to people; rather, we go in and determine what they need."
Equally significant is the relationship the nurses and caregivers cultivate with their patients, because p.r.n. believes there is no substitute for that special bond. "That's important when you're sending someone into someone else's home," Luffy said. "You have to match up the right people and have to understand their needs to have a truly good relationship. This is a most vulnerable time (for the patients) and they have to be comfortable with the people you send, they have to be able to rely on them. You can't just send anyone."
With the number of demands placed on such an organization, personnel must be ready to take on the next assignment at any time; and p.r.n. has a staff of more than 350 full- and part-time nurses, many who have been there for a long time. "For the past five years, we've worked on retention and finding ways to move people up the ladder; so we have a good core staff," Luffy said.
She went on to say p.r.n. has even begun to cultivate its own staff of nursing aids, by going to high schools to speak to young girls and guys who are interested in careers in health care. "It's working out really well," she said. "It's good for everybody—the students, the patients, and us."
p.r.n. does a thorough background check, including criminal or child abuse records, of all applicants. All staff members are bonded and insured, and fully trained to provide the proper care as prescribed by the patient's doctor.
"(p.r.n.) helps the Boomer population," Luffy concluded. "A lot of them are young, active people who have to take care of their parents. We can make sure their parents are taken care of; we try to be that person."
(Next month we'll discuss p.r.n.'s special transport chair which enables people who have been housebound—possibly for years—to venture outdoors.)
For more information call (412) 824-2181 or visit www.prnhealthservice.com.
