Published by Mississauga News
May 19, 2010
Written by Julie Slack
URL: http://www.mississauga.com/community/health/article/818873--support-workers-want-limit-on-work  

Mississauga's Beverley Baptiste was part of a delegation of personal support workers (PSW) that met today at Queen's Park with Health Minister Deb Matthews to push for a limit to the number of clients each worker must care for.

Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 1 Canada, also met with other Cabinet ministers and spoke to Liberal, Conservative and NDP MPPs about the state of Ontario's home care system.

PSWs care for seniors, adults and children with disabilities at home and in retirement and nursing homes.

Baptiste, 55, who has been a support worker for 24 years, says there's no better job. But she wants the provincial government to address their concerns.

As a PSW with The Salvation Army in Toronto, Baptiste says her caseload of seven patients is manageable compared to some of her colleagues, who have as many as 14.

Today at Queen's Park, they asked Matthews to limit the number of clients per worker to five. Baptiste says any more than five compromises the quality of care for patients, who often count on PSWs for help with eating, going to the washroom and personal grooming.

Baptiste said her patients on a palliative care floor in a long-term care facility require extended care. Many are bedridden and need help with meals, going to the washroom, washing their hair and clipping their nails.

"Many of them don't have any family, so they are part of your family, too," she said. "Seeing a smile on these residents' faces gives you a real satisfaction. In some cases, I am the only person they see day-in and day-out. They look forward to me giving them some good TLC.

"And just as you wouldn't want to see a family member or think of yourself lying there waiting for you to take them to the washroom...while they sit there wet or in feces, well that's just not right."

Today also marked the first-ever Personal Support Worker Day. SEIU members say it's important PSWs receive official recognition for the valuable service they provide in sustaining the healthcare system by providing quality community- and home-based care.

Baptiste said PSWs seek good wages, good vacation and early retirement at age 60 because, "by that time our bones are aching."

She said every PSW she knows has back and shoulder problems from the job, which requires pushing patient lifts, rolling people over and helping them get out of bed.