Submitted by Donna Wittet.
Hello, I am a home worker that delivers home support to families who need help to be able to stay in their homes as opposed to a nursing home or residential home.
I love my job. In fact it doesn't feel like a job because it is something I enjoy very much and I love listening to people's stories about growing up, what they did, where they came from etc.
Providing home care means a lot to me but I feel that as time goes on and with rising gas prices, that home care workers will find different jobs that pay better, that doesn't require them to travel between clients. Our travel time isn't paid for except for 32 cents a kilometer which discourages people from doing this wonderful work. I feel we need better wages, benefits and more mileage paid to us.
Home care needs to be improved! Workers need better pay, better mileage and compensation for our jobs to be able to continue to do them.
For myself, when I get of an age when I need help, I hope I can stay in my home as long as possible. Don't you feel the same way? Lets do something together to make it possible.
Sincerely
Donna Wittet
Submitted by Anne Fisher
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Linda always said she only did what any other caregiver would have done but the family, nevertheless, considers her a hero. Linda had been providing care in the home for some years, giving a bath to the husband, who has diabetes. The husband usually had everything set up for the bath and was awaiting her arrival. The wife used this time to go about her household duties knowing her husband was being well cared for. This morning his wife said he was still sleeping downstairs. Linda, uneasy as this was unusual, went to wake him and noticed that he wasn’t responding as he should. She immediately told his wife to call 911 and the ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. The couple is steadfast in their praise for her quick action and feels that if it hadn’t been for Linda’s presence and professional care and concern, the husband would be dead today. Just a story in the life of one home care worker – a miracle in the life of that couple.
Maybe not every day brings such a dramatic illustration of how we make a difference in our clients’ lives. For the most part, we go about doing the routine tasks that most able-bodied people take for granted – preparing a meal, helping someone in and out of the tub, assisting them in dressing, and washing their clothes. For a few, we do more serious procedures and transfers. For some, we are their only contact with the outside world and, indeed, can bring a breath of fresh air to their lives when we enter. For all, it means they can remain in their homes, in familiar surroundings, for as long as possible. The work has its rewards for us as well – payment in the knowledge of a job well done – that doing what you love has brought some joy to another and that you’ve made a positive impact on someone’s life – that you’ve made a DIFFERENCE.
P.S. This is a true story about a North Bay home care worker. It was written up in a book by a local writer, titled “You’re My Hero” after being submitted by the clients.
Submitted Karen Hamilton
Hi there,
Thanks ever so much for what you are doing. Just read the sad story on Linda Mckenzie - Nicholas' experience of her parents in the nursing home.
My 3.5 months nursing home experience as a (PSW) Personal Support Worker. No orientation at all - sink or swim. With the help of the other PSW's I swam. Nice place to work - relatively happy staff and happy residents. Director of Care often complimented me (since I was new) on my work in the hall way within earshot of other PSW's. Then, there were changes all of a sudden taking place - either funding cuts or newly privatization of the home - PSW's hours were cut and we were informed that we'd have to wake, wash, dress and have 10 residents in the dining room in an hour. Nobody's teeth were ever getting done, no eye glasses getting washed, and dementia patients were not being dealt with in a tactful way. Residents who were deemed a choking hazard and so resigned to eating mush would often get a ground up piece of bread, ground up pickle and a blob of cheese whiz for either lunch or dinner. Where were the nutritionists to inform the home that there is no nutritional value in that meal? One resident would not eat it and ask me "Would you eat that crap?" They pay so much money to live there and they get treated like second class citizens. I saw constant neglect and down right abuse. I saw 3 people die there that should not have died - one wanted to die because she hated being there so after she fell and broke her hip she pined away. She was refusing to eat or drink anything so PSW's would give a quick try en route to something else. The resident started choking on the mush quickly shoved in to her mouth. Maybe she got respiration pneumonia. Another resident was completely non verbal and immobile. Day after day I documented (and brought it to the nurses attention) that she was not getting enough water. Her "attends" were never wet in 3 days! She died! Going around with the snack cart (only an hour after everyone had eaten) was a team responsibility. The other PSW's seemed to have a routine and specific residents they'd offered snacks to, so I offered the other residents, especially water - a woman who was severely mentally handicapped from birth and a blind woman who was absolutely ecstatic at having a tea. She had never been offered one before, I guess because a PSW would have to help her with it. The residents had a committee and addressed the administrator about the changes that were making them unhappy. Both their letter and the administrators answer were on the bulletin board for all to see. They complained about the long waiting for help when they rang the bell. At times nobody would come at all. They commented on the unhappy faces of the PSW's all of a sudden when they used to have a smile on their face and talk and joke with them and showed how they cared and listened to them. The administrator replied with a response that made the residents think they were getting a good thing. I was told not to talk to the residents - there was no time! Because of the frustration, overwork and stress the PSWs were getting ugly with residents and each other. The director of care liked me and the residents really liked me but I became unpopular after showing up the fat cat of a click group and was asked to leave. I guess in all that turmoil I became a scape-goat. Sad thing is not too long after I left, the Director of Care left. For what reason I don't know. She was a kind and intelligent woman who knew what really mattered.
That was Almonte Country Haven. Thanks for listening. Karen - a homecare worker
Submitted by Deborah Burr.
“KEEP THE CARE IN HOME CARE”
I want you to meet my clients. They are the reason I work in this sector. They are ordinary people undergoing extraordinary challenges.
I work in Home Care, mostly providing Palliative and End of Life Care. When I meet my clients and their families it is usually a very stressful time for them. In many cases they have just been told that the client is soon going to die. This produces a lot of anxiety and anger and fear. That means my job is not just to assist with the activities of daily living. I might be a shoulder to cry on for a spouse or a child. Or I might be a listening ear for a client who doesn’t want to leave their family. Palliative care is very intimate and the involvement of staff with client becomes very personal.
Recently I had a client who was terminally ill. She was a woman the same age as me. She had two young teenagers. Being in that home I became part of their lives. There were days when I had to wake the teens up for school, other days when I had to make sure they had finished their homework and days when we sat down at mealtime and as I assisted the client we joked and laughed just like nothing was wrong. Then there were the night shifts when I sat up with the client and she mourned the fact that she would not see her children grow up. This client could not have stayed home with her family until the end without the care of Support Workers like me.
In the course of my career I have been with clients in their final days and hours. I have watched families stand helplessly by while their loved ones struggled. I have held the dying and their family members. I have watched people take their final breath. I have helped with post mortem care. I have mourned the loss of people I have come to care about deeply.
Home Care Workers are vital. We care so much that we work for less than we are worth, and are not compensated, as we should be. We do it because we love what we do.
I do love what I do and I know that I make a difference to my clients and their families. But I need to know that my care is valued and that we can Keep the Care in Home Care.
BY: DEBORAH BURR
CHIEF STEWARD
VON SARNIA LAMBTON
Submitted by Ellen McCollough
The Last Farewell
We had a very bad snow storm overnight and workers were snowed in. My circumstances were different so I was able to get to my clients. I called the office after caring for my clients and asked if there were any clients that needed to be seen. I was asked to go to one of my regular clients that I saw in the evenings. She was palliative and needed a lot of tender personal care and nursing care. He had to deal with a significant amount of pain. Her husband was thankful to see me as the nurse was also struggling to see her patients in a timely manner. After her care was completed she looked at me and asked ¨Ellen will you hold my hand¨? I held her hand as she fell asleep. I received a call from the office several hours later to inform me of her passing. I will never forget the gratitude in her eyes and soft words of thanks. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to hold her hand in her final hours. I saw her husband some months later and he thanked me again and told me how much our visits helped him and his wife cope during that most vulnerable time in their lives. This is the true reward of being a Personal Support Worker. Our title can’t encompass the difference we make in people’s lives daily and during their final days on this earth.
Ellen McCulloch
Red Cross
Simcoe Branch
Submitted by Colin Ross
Keeping the Care at Home
I am a P.S.W.
Based int’ community,
Though wages aren’t sufficient,
It IS the job for me.
Help keep families together,
Both spouses and their kin,
And save their hard earned money
From nursing homes admin.
I AM appreciated,
The families make that known,
And though the pay’s atrocious,
It’s THAT, that keeps me goin’.
I’ve also worked in long term,
The clients HATE it there,
They’d rather be in THEIR home,
With some, to help give care.
’Cause there, they’re not a number,
It’s ‘one on one’ they get,
Mementos ALL around them,
To help them NOT forget.
I’m NOT your ‘normal’ career,
It’s true, I am a male
But I give all, my utmost,
The care I give, is real.
You ask me WHY I do it?
I LOVE it, That’s for sure,
The satisfaction I get
Helps boost me to endure.
Submitted by Sue Bosch
HOW HOME CARE MAKES A DIFFERENCE
I have worked as a home care worker for many years now and I find it although challenging at times very rewarding. Most of my clients I visit in their homes are seniors, who require assistance in daily living tasks such as bathing, grooming and dressing. As a mother of grown children I have long since developed the skill of organization and time management but as a front line worker you must always be alert to the situation and you often rely on common sense. One of the challenges are trying to arrive at the time you told them you would be there, some times you are just held up a little longer than expected. I recently visited an elderly gentleman who was very hard of hearing and each time I called he thought I was a telemarketer and would hang up on me. After a few frustrating attempts of calling ahead I finally shouted into the phone:” I’m coming to give you a shower”! I thought he sounded rather “crusty” and “gruff” and when I got to his apartment I went through the same problem of having him “buzz” me into the building. At the door I was greeted by a frail little man who quickly put me to work right a way of making him up a sandwich for his lunch, make his bed, and empty the commode, before we got started on the shower. Here was a man who was in charge and holding on to control and independence and I instantly liked him and respected him. After his shower I complimented on his shirt he chose to wear and a smile broke out on his face that would just melt your heart. I now see this gentleman on a regular basis and just the other day as I was cleaning his bathtub he told me I do a really good job. The feeling you get of accomplishment and self satisfaction at the end of the day is what is most meaningful. My clients make me feel needed and appreciated and I know we both look forward to our next visit.
Submitted by Yvonne Greaves
Keep the Care in Homecare
I am proud Personal Support Worker who is working in the Home Care sector for twenty-four years. I love my job and enjoy the satisfaction it brings me by servicing my sick and frail clients.
Working in Home Care enable me to make a big difference in the lives of my clients. With what help and assistance they receive from us, they are able to stay in their homes where they are happy to be.
We are able to give one to one care much easier then if these clients were in an Institution. Because is care given in their own environment it helps them to feel more secure and comfortable.
By Keeping the care in Home Care the clients are able to maintain their dignity and have an input in the decision making of their care.
Home Care is a viable alternative to Institutional and Acute Care Services. Home Care makes a great difference in the lives of the clients and their families who rely on the service from day to day. I am a professional delivering the kind of care that is essential to the health and well being of the clients I visit each week.
Home Care is not about vacuuming and cleaning, it is about giving the best care possible.
As a Home Care worker for these many years, it’s meaningful to know that I make a difference in the lives of people I serve.
Although our job has become more complex because the clients need varies; it is of necessity that Home Care should be recognized and treated as part of the Health Care system. I see the benefit and difference it makes in the lives of the clients.
The care we give is received with gratitude and appreciation. I know this because the clients express it with words like these “thank you, thank you very much, I don’t know what I would do without you; gee, am I glad to see you;”
I was given a new client Tuesday October 14, 2008. She said to me, “I am so glad to see you because I’m all alone and have no one to speak to, and now I will have some one to look forward to and this is very important to me. I need someone I can talk to. I am tired of sitting and watching TV; I feel so lonely but now I’m happy you are coming twice per week. “ When I was leaving she said to me “I cannot wait for the next visit.”
In cases like these we are the only link to them and the outside world. In some cases a visit from us could be a matter of life and death for our clients. An example is, one of my clients who lived alone and suffered from dementia and has no family member but an aging sister in law. I visited her every day so as to remind her to take her mediation. One morning I walked into her apartment and found her on the floor. I went over to her and she said to me that she was not feeling well. I felt her face and it was cold and clammy.
I called my Supervisor and reported the situation and was instructed to call 911. Paramedics came and found that her blood sugar was very low. She was taken to the hospital and admitted. We later found out she was having a heart attack. If there were no Home Care visit she would have been found dead on her floor. Because of Home Care she is still alive. HOME CARE makes a difference and is meaningful to the sick and elderly in the community. KEEP THE CARE IN HOME CARE.
Yvonne Greaves
Submitted by Doreen Thornhill, P.S.W.
‘Be Happy”
I have been in this business for a few years now and many things have happened. Some so very humorous and others, very sad.
It was a war summer’s day when I received an emergency call from my employer. “We need you to go to a new client who has just arrived home from the hospital.” They proceeded to give detail … heart – palliative care – home to succumb in peace!
I arrived at the home and the wife was very upset as well as the daughter. Nothing is ready for the client and he is already home, lying on an unmade bed. I was given one hour to do my job. Good luck!!
The first thing was to calm everyone by giving each of them small tasks, such as clean linen, towels, toiletries, etc. which would be needed. It worked! The client was the most calm of all. What a marvelous person, very friendly, caring, kind and most of all a sense of humour. These were traits I picked up on immediately.
When I had completed my job, all was calm and the client was very happy with his care. The wife and daughter couldn’t thank me enough. Upon leaving I said that I would return in the morning!
By the next morning my client had passed away.
This gentleman made an impression on me because he was so calm, happy and funny. I was only there for about 1½ hours but it was such a pleasure to know this man. There was something special about him. I still can’t put it into words. His passion for others was far greater than most. So many emotions were passed between us. I now know what he was trying to say … “don’t cry for me or be sad – “Be Happy!”
Now I carry those two words with me always. “Be Happy”.
I touched his family for such a short time but I was touched for life by him. A few days later I received a card from the family thanking me for what I had done. To these people I had made a difference and I thank them for the opportunity.
This is my mission and mandate in life … “Give more than you receive”.
Submitted by Alice Smith
About 12 years ago, I worked for an elderly gentleman in Allenford. I cared for his wife first. She passed away about a year later. This gentleman came on the program about two weeks after his wife died. I worked for him on Mondays & Thursdays. I always cooked a roast beef dinner and home made soup for him. I would freeze it. Then he would get it out when needed. He was always sitting in his rocking chair, waiting on me to arrive. He greeted me at the door with a big smile & hand shake. He always called me a little girl. I did my work and his meals. When I was finished I plugged in the kettle. You couldn’t go home before you had coffee and cookie. He had a cup of tea, he never like coffee. He was from the old school, he was a real gentleman. One Thursday I got there, he said come sit down and we need to talk. I asked him if their was something wrong. He said no. He said I’m getting to be an old man now. I’m no good for anything or anyone. I am ready to go one of these days. You’ll come here and find me. I said please don’t talk like that. He said listen please when you find me don’t let me suffer. I don’t want to go in a nursing home. I want to die here at home. It was about two weeks later on a Thursday morning I drove in the drive way. He wasn’t sitting in his chair. I looked in the kitchen – a roast beef was sitting on the counter. I said, Oh Lord no, no. I went to the bathroom, called his name, no answer. I knew in my heart. I went to the bedroom, he was laying on the floor. He had a small cut on his head. His eyes and mouth was open. I phoned 911. I gave him CPR. I asked the gentleman I was talking to if it was okay if I closed his eyes. He said do what you feel is right. He knew I was going to find him. A few days later I went to the funeral. When I arrived at the home, the director asked me if I was Alice Smith, I said yes. They said the family would like to see you in the other room. Oh boy, what did I do wrong. They greeted me with open arms and said they were glad I was the one that found their father and I was a part of their family too. I have worked for a lot of people over the years no one has ever come close to this truly remarkable gentleman. He will not be forgotten. I truly wish there were more clients like him, they come close but not quite home. If their not in sight, I get a chill.
Alice Smith
TARA