PERSONAL

Personal Support Workers on the front lines of caring for your loved ones

JOLI SCHEIDLER-BENNS

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

Personal support workers at Caressant Care Lindsay. From left to right: Deb Snable, Sharon Blundell, Celina Sisson and Trent Vokins.

When it comes to senior care, it takes a village to ensure our family members are well looked after. While some positions may be more glamourous, personal support workers (PSW) are a critical part of health care, but there’s a growing shortage of PSWs. In an area like Kawartha Lakes, where we have a higher-than-average senior population, that’s a significant concern.

The vast majority of care in long term care homes is provided by PSWs, whether with physical care, help with meals, personal hygiene, dressing, or emotional care and social interactions.

Catherine Dickinson-Gretton, a PSW from Lindsay, worked for about two years at a retirement home in Bobcaygeon. “I absolutely loved being a PSW,” she told the Advocate. “Most likely this is because my grandma

raised me and we were extremely close. I loved the feeling of being needed and knowing how to take care of people. I loved hearing their stories and having them smile when I was able to help them and make them feel better about something.”

Brianna Smit has worked as a PSW in Lindsay since 2012. Although she worked in a long-term care home for the first two years, she has worked in home care for the last six years and currently works for St. Elizabeth Health Care, which provides home-based support.

Smit says that what she loves about her job is “getting to know my clients on a one-on-one basis and actually getting to talk with them about their past, where they grew up, and just listening to their stories.”

CONT’D ON PAGE 18

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Contact us today and be ready to Do Great Work as part of a dedicated team of healthcare professionals who are passionate about the exceptional care they provide to our residents every day.

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We are hiring for full and part time PSWs to work in our long term care homes in Lindsay.

www.lindsayadvocate.ca 15 Caressant Care Lindsay on Mary Street | 124 - bed long term care facility 240 Mary Street West Lindsay, Ontario K9V 5K5 | 705-324-1913 Caressant Care McLaughlin Road | 96 - bed long term care facility 114 McLaughlin Road Lindsay, Ontario K9V 6L1 | 705-324-0300

WANTED PSWs who want to experience Hope, Purpose, and Belonging.

Every day we strive for Hope, Purpose, and Belonging in our homes, for both residents and staff. At OMNI, we provide exceptional care with heart and humanity. PSWs are needed for: • Frost Manor, Lindsay • Springdale Country Manor, Cavan-Monaghan • Riverview Manor, Peterborough Apply today!

To join the OMNI team, you may search for openings online or send your resume to: OMNI Health Care 2020 Fisher Drive, Suite 1 Peterborough ON K9J 6X6 Attention: Human Resources

SHORTAGES NEED ADDRESSING

A positive attitude and a desire to help others is a great start for a career in this field, but without some significant changes and the political will, Ontario will soon face a serious shortage of PSWs just when it needs them most.

The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) works to protect and improve the public health care system through advocacy. It is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest coalition and network. The OHC states in a recent report that this shortage of PSWs “is pressing and it requires urgent systemic action by policy makers.”

“Long-term care homes have taken on a patient load that is commensurate to that of complex continuing care or psychogeriatric care hospitals but in long-term care they are funded at one-third of the rate. PSWs are on the front-line of this offload of heavy-care patients. At best they are frustrated. At worst, they are getting injured, burnt out or leaving as a result,” the OHC report says.

PSWs are a critical part of Ontario’s health care system – but Ontario’s health care system is under-funded. This province spends the lowest amount of dollars per person of all 10 provinces, and is even lower than the Canadian average.

“PSWs have gone the extra mile to make things work despite the systemic failure to support them adequately,” states the OHC.

Pamela Kulas is the executive director at Victoria Manor Long Term Care, which is owned by the City of Kawartha Lakes. “PSWs play one of the most crucial roles in senior care,” Kulas tells the Advocate. “There is no doubt it’s demanding work,” she says, adding that Victoria Manor “has made strides in enhancing the experience through our quality improvement initiatives.”

That means the home is actively working to address PSWs’ needs, she says, such as flexible scheduling and creating weekend worker positions, as well as encouraging the “use of our tuition and employee assistance programs to minimize the challenging aspects of the job.”

“Additionally, we prioritize making the work experience as rewarding as possible by engaging our team in quality improvement committees and professional growth opportunities,” says Kulas. Smit says that what she loves about her job is “getting to know my clients on a one-on-one basis and actually getting to talk with them about their past, where they grew up, and just listening to their stories.”

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

PSW’s Ann-Marie Cavan-Barry, left, and Rhonda Hughes, right, work at Frost Manor in Lindsay.”

From nearby Peterborough, Season Himura has been a PSW for two years. “I love to see my residents laugh and smile,” says Himura, describing that as the highlight of her challenging job.

“My unpopular opinion is that most management teams do the best they can, given the circumstances, but … there needs to be more incentive for potential new staff or students. Clearly the sector is suffering and education should be subsidized or at least grants offered for those interested in doing this work,” says Himura.

Smit says wages should be more competitive for support workers across the board, something that could be remedied with better funding from the province. Right now, according to PayScale, the average wage for a PSW in Canada is $17.64 an hour — but it can start as low as minimum wage.

“I also believe elective health insurance benefits for part-time employees is a potential draw,” she says. She had no access to such a program, but says, “I would have immediately paid into that and would have been a healthier and more available employee as a result.” Most management teams do the best they can, given the circumstances.

• Competitive wages, shift premiums • Outstanding employment benefits • Full-time enjoy 100% paid; short and long-term disability, health benefits • Part-time enjoy 12% pay in place of benefits • OMERS pension plan (one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans) • Monetary supports towards education opportunities • Municipally owned home (not private)

Call 705-324-3558 ext. 1353 for new opportunities or find us at www.kawarthalakes.ca/en/ victoria-manor-long-term-care.aspx 220 Angeline St., S, Lindsay

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CONT’D FROM PAGE 19 PSWs NEED MORE PROVINCIAL FUNDING

Zac Miller is co-chair of the Kawartha Lakes Health Coalition, the local chapter of the OHC. He says the provincial government must eliminate all barriers for people who want a career as a PSW, or other front-line health care positions, so the health care system has the qualified staff it needs.

The local health coalition believes this would involve eliminating post-secondary tuition fees as well as student debt for those intending to work as a PSW. He says provincial governments have failed to pay front-line staff adequately and to ensure good working conditions.”

“Increasing funding to long-term care to increase wages and hire more PSWs and RNs is an absolute must,” he says.

Miller says almost 2,000 Kawartha Lakes residents are waiting for long-term care and are being told the wait list is anywhere from four months to a year.

Despite the complex, precarious and often physically demanding positions of PSWs in long-term care homes, retirement homes, and in-home visits, compassionate people continue to make a commitment to care for our aging loved ones.

~ with files from Roderick Benns

To advocate for more funding for long term care and senior care in general, contact local MPP and infrastructure minister, Laurie Scott, at 705-324-6654 or by emailing laurie.scott@pc.ola.org.

Seniors in Focus 19,065 people who are 65 and older in Kawartha Lakes (Statistics Canada, 2016) This represents 25 per cent of our population -- larger than the provincial average of more than 16 per cent

Information & support for seniors A one-stop website (Ontario.ca/ AgingWell) has been developed to provide information, all in one place, about government services, programs and supports for seniors across the province. Call 1-888-910-1999 or by calling 211 – which offers information 24 hours a day in over 150 languages.

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READER SPOTLIGHT Courtesy of Kawartha Lakes Public Library

SUSAN TAYLOR

Coco Chanel said “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” Eleanor Oliphant would have made Coco proud. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is an entertaining read of the many hills and valleys of the pain and the beauty of being human and unique.

door deliveries of regular mail. Would that save and possibly create jobs? Absolutely — and they would be jobs in our smaller communities.

Many scoff at the mere thought of the government — through the post office no less – running a bank. But the federal government already runs four banks (Farm Credit, Export Development, Business Development and the Bank of Canada). And all of those banks are profitable.

Schmale is among those who object to government involvement, stating that there are ways to provide service “where the government is not infringing in areas where the private sector is already established.” He rightly notes that better and faster broadband (which can improve access to online banking) is needed in rural Canada. But even the most optimistic of plans — many of which are years from completion — only predict country-wide access by 2030. And broadband access doesn’t address the issue of those who cannot afford technology, nor does it help the people — especially seniors — who prefer to do their banking in person.

Most of the developed world has some sort of postal banking system using any of several different business models and private-public cooperation. A report by the Universal Postal Union (the international organization of the postal services of 192 countries) states that postal banks are “second to banks in their potential to contribute to financial inclusion” worldwide. In other words, postal banks get more people participating in the economy.

Since we already had a postal bank for almost 100 years of Confederation, we can safely assume we could, as a nation, figure out the “hows.” We already have a lot of the infrastructure and we have federal bank employees to supplement the ranks of postal employees, who already provide some financial services. As CUPW points out, Canada Post already covers a lot of this territory. It “sells money orders, credit cards and has an online bill delivery service, epost, which could easily be modified to allow bill payment online. Canada Post already has a secure delivery system in place, which can be further developed. Canada Post already has trained staff who can learn how to deliver new financial functions to support banking services.”

Rural post offices already connect us. What else could we be doing with them?

PHOTO: SIENNA FROST

Inte rn et Acce ss

The Advocate contacted the office of Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the minister responsible for Canada Post for comment on postal banking. Anand’s press secretary, Marielle Hasseck replied, “Our government has introduced a new vision for Canada Post that puts service to Canadians front and centre. This includes reinvesting profits in services and encouraging innovative projects and partnerships to leverage Canada Post offices, to benefit all Canadians no matter where they live — including Canadians in rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities. Extensive analysis and consultations were conducted in 2016.” Hasseck’s response continued, “Our government heard loud and clear from the Canada Post review that it should focus its efforts on excellence in service in its core functions and we agree with that view. We are confident that the corporation will work to meet the changing needs of its customers and the communities it serves.”

It is unclear if that statement is pro- or anti-postal banking. What is clear is that the CPAA, the organization of postmasters and assistants, is fully committed to postal banking. In its most recent collective agreement (which as of press time had not been ratified) includes a provision for postal banking. “If the contract gets ratified, it looks like Canada Post is willing to do a study on postal banking,” reports McCauley.

There is compelling evidence that postal banking can benefit rural Canadians, be profitable and address social problems while at the same time providing good jobs. The idea has strong support nationally; 661 Canadian municipalities and groups have passed a resolution or sent a letter of support in favour of postal banking.

It’s time for the City of Kawartha Lakes to support that effort, or at least publicly support a call to truly study a system that could help those in rural areas, seniors and the economically disadvantaged. It is time to go back to a system that worked for generations of Canadians. It is time for the return of postal banking.

~ Portions of this story first appeared in an article on the Advocate, published online January 2019. Help rural Canada grow stronger. Support better public services at the post office. Internet Access Financial Services Rural post offices already connect us. What else could we be doing with them? Help rural Canada grow stronger. Support better public services at the post office. Environmental Initiatives Community Services Financial Servi ce s Communi t y Servi ce s Env ir onme ntal Initiativ es

NATURE NOTES with Suzanne Alden

RED SQUIRREL

These aggressive, chatty squirrels do not hibernate, using tunnels under the snow to get around. They are excellent at storing a large cache of food for winter, and can find buried food in more than a foot of snow. Red squirrels breed in late February and early March, but the female is only ready to mate for one day, so many males will give chase and she will mate with multiple males if possible. The young (kittens), are naked and blind for around 27 days, and start leaving the nest at 30 days, but will stay as a family group until early fall.

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