New service fills voids in health care

When Cristina Masotti's mother fell ill in 2007, it encouraged the musician to begin a second career in health care.

Her mother's nurse at Toronto's St. Joseph's Health Centre, Linda Fair, had a profound impact on Masotti.

“She helped that whole process of recovery in a way that not everybody else did,” Masotti said.

After her mom's recovery, Masotti, who was a music teacher at Cambrian College at the time, returned to school to become a nurse.

In 2010 she graduated as a registered practical nurse, and started to work at St. Joseph's Continuing Care Centre in Sudbury.

“In my practice I saw many patients being discharged just having the minimum amount of care that is provided by CCAC,” she said. “Many times I thought, 'How is that person going to manage?' It's heartbreaking to know that someone wants to be in the comfort of their own home, or doesn't have enough care when they're going home.”

During her career as a violinist and teacher Masotti was also an entrepreneur, through private lessons and a quartet she helped manage.

She decided to take that entrepreneurial experience and start her own health care service to fill the void she saw when patients were discharged from the long-term care home.

After a few years of planning, Masotti officially launched Nurse Right Now in October.

The private health care provider now has 15 people on staff, and offers services that range from respite care to acute services for people who are recovering from surgery.

Jennifer Lahti, a registered nurse and Nurse Right Now's director of clinical services, said their services fill a void and help non-professional caregivers give their loved ones extra care.

“These families are overwhelmed,” she said. “They're seeing these changes that are rapidly happening with their family member, and their coping skills are lacking, because they can't keep up with these changes.”

Lahti joined Nurse Right Now after her ill father brought her back to Sudbury after a long absence – she worked in the emergency department of an Iowa hospital.

Her father eventually died of cancer at Maison Vale Hospice, but when a high school friend put Lahti in touch with Masotti they realized they both wanted to help other families care for their loved ones.

While Nurse Right Now's clients must pay for their services themselves, Masotti said some insurance plans cover home care.

“A lot of people have home care in their (insurance) plans and don't realize it,” she said.

For more information about Nurse Right now call 249-878-0773 or visit www.nurserightnow.ca.