What is going on?

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Ontario Personal Support Worker Association (OPSWA)

Hi Everyone,

I’m sorry for not blogging regularly like I used too. Things at PSW Canada have been extremely busy and we are well on our way to obtaining everything for our PSWs.

Through this job, I’ve heard and seen some terrible things.

Recently, PSW Canada was contacted by an elderly lady receiving home care. She has no family, so neighbors had been helping out and the CCAC had provided her with a Personal Support Worker to help with her ADL’s. Now this woman had broken her ankle and had surgery so she was pretty much confined to her bed.

This woman after talking to her for a bit about the role of a PSW, informed me that her PSW was supposed to be at her house for an hour and a half everyday. She had only been staying 20 minutes at most. The PSW was not completing the care plan and the elderly lady hadn’t been washed in a while. I told the woman to contact the home care company and CCAC about this issue and I found something out. This client is SCARED! SCARED! Can you believe it? She is scared to call and ” make waves”, thinking that the care would be worse or they wouldn’t supply her with a PSW if she complained!!! I’m appalled!

Everyday we deal with PSW’s who are scared to come forward and defend themselves. Now I’ve learnt to deal with that and accept it in a way, but our CLIENTS or RESIDENTS being SCARED! NO WAY!

This PSW is responsible for supplying this Client with EVERYTHING she Needs and us here at PSW Canada would like the opportunity to rip into this PSW and explain her job to her again! There is NO excuse for this sort of treatment,  is this ABUSE!

The only way for any of this to be stopped is by supplying the public with knowledge.  Letting them know that they are in charge of their care and NO PSW or Nurse can EVER take that safety away from them!

I hope that all our PSWs are caring and compassionate and would never think about putting a Client or Resident in this position! I pray that we all remember WHY we got into this in the first place ~ To HELP ~ Not abuse!

SO PLEASE Remember that these people rely on us, depend on us and NEED us! RESPECT that! Don’t take advantage of it!

Thank you for letting me rant! I think it’s important that we share some of the problems that come our way!

Keep smiling PSWs! and do the world for your Clients or Residents!

Miranda Ferrier

PRESIDENT
PSW Canada(2007)

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About Ontario Personal Support Worker Association (OPSWA)

The Ontario Personal Support Worker Association is the first ever Professional Association for PSWs across our Nation. OPSWA is run by PSWs FOR PSWs and public safety. We understand the difficulties PSWs deal with everyday OPSWA represents thousands of Personal Support Workers across Ontario. Our goal is to make the PSW a profession of choice, not just a stepping stone. As PSWs work with societies must vulnerable, we believe in due diligence where our membership is concerned, our PSWs must meet certain criteria in order to be an OPSWA Registered PSW. All of our PSWs have an annual National Police Check done at NO extra cost to them, plus so much more! Because OPSWA is run by your Peers, OPSWA PSWs have opportunities to obtain extra training at a discount price, Liability Insurance, discounts at major stores and so much more! For more information on what OPSWA's criteria is please go to membership. OPSWA was developed out of our mother organization PSW Canada(2007), which was created by PSWs as an information station for PSWs and those alike cross our nation. For more information on PSW Canada, please contact info@pswcanada.ca. OPSWA's Mission Statement To continuously strive to improve the professional status of the Personal Support Workers of Ontario through advocacy for excellence and consistency in training, services, working conditions, and value to those we serve. Vision: Standardization of the Personal Support Worker will afford all Ontarians the quality of care which they are entitled too.

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