Inside the Circle – June 14, 2022

Diversity is the concept of understanding that each individual is unique, and that each of our individual differences share a purpose in society. Celebrating diversity is about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin. Diversity allows for the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment – it means understanding one another by surpassing simple tolerance to ensure people truly value their differences.

At Circle of Care, we acknowledge the responsibility we have to ensure that we are fostering a work environment of inclusivity, fairness and belonging for our employees. We want to hear from you in order to evaluate how we are doing and how we can make improvements going forward.

Please take the time to complete the following survey by July 1^st .

Getting vaccinated and staying up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines is the best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and our community from COVID-19 and its variants. If you have not already done so, please consider getting your third dose (first booster) as soon as possible, and getting your fourth dose if you have already received your third dose, and if you are eligible.

As a reminder, once you have received the third dose and/or fourth dose, please submit a copy to HRDept@circleofcare.com. You will also receive an additional 1 hour of payment on an upcoming pay.

Planning Travel 

Whether travelling by car or public transit, workers are responsible for planning ahead.

We were proud to announce this year’s Champions of Care winners during our June Town Hall. There were a total of 95 employees nominated for our 2021-2022 Champions of Care Awards! We recognize and appreciate all the hard work and commitment that all of our employees dedicate each day, and thank all those who nominated their colleagues over the last year for an award.

And finally we thank each of you who consistently demonstrate and practice excellence, accountability, collaboration, equity, innovation, and person-centred care!

Last week, we publicly announced the new Lebovic Centre location for our Adult Day Program, sharing construction and rendering photos on our website. We are excited about this move, as it will allow us to provide services to a greater number of clients, as we become part of the thriving community of programming, services and care at the Lebovic Campus

JUNE

June is Pride Month, National Indigenous Month, Seniors Month, Italian Heritage Month, Filipino Heritage Month & Portuguese Heritage Month

June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEEAD)

June 19: Father’s Day

June 21: First Day of Summer

A father is a person, who is loving and kind. And who often knows what you have on your mind

He’s someone who listens, suggests, and defends. A father can be one of your very best friends.

He’s proud of your triumphs, but when things go wrong, a father can be patient and helpful and strong.

In all that you do, a father’s love plays a part.  There’s always a place for him  deep in your heart.

Thank your fathers, for listening and caring, and for giving and sharing.

Happy Father’s Day!

North York Toronto Health Partners is offering a fun and interactive webinar focused on getting on track when it comes to achieving your personal financial goals.

The webinar will get you thinking about what you are currently spending money on, will demonstrate techniques on setting financial goals, and will provide practical tips on creating and staying track with your budget.

Date: Friday, June 17
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Location: Zoom

May Showcase: Reporting and Responding Appropriately

Our workers are the eyes and ears in the homes of our clients. They are the first to notice signs that there have been changes to a client’s health or capacity to care for themselves. In order to adequately identify changes, our workers need to become familiar with what the “baseline” looks like for each of the clients they provide service to. When changes from the baseline are recognized, workers must report these concerns to their CSS and SC and call the Client Support Centre if the situation is an emergency.

In the month of May, many of our PSWs proactively reported and responded to concerns regarding the clients they serve, allowing for appropriate actions to be taken quickly to ensure the client’s safety. Here are a few examples of our PSWs reporting client safety concerns over the last month:

• PSW Dianne Clark noticed that a client she provides service to took longer to open the door than usual and had a new bruise. Dianne reported this to her CSS, who notified the family. The family was able to arrange to see the client that day to monitor.
• PSW Shayesteh Razavion reported that a client she was with appeared sad and was shaking. Shayesteh’s CSS made contact with the client who said they were having an off day, and was able to recommend some services to support the client’s overall well-being.
• PSW Rowena Cerezo noticed that the client she was providing service for was not completing his care routine in full after an extended vacation. Rowena reported to her CSS who followed up with the client and the HCCSS to ensure there were enough supports in place to keep the client safe and healthy.
• PSW Belaynesh Panaoti recognized that her client was showing signs of a stroke and immediately called 911. The client was able to be assessed in the hospital and it was discovered that the client did have a stroke, as Belaynesh had suspected.
• PSW Alice Magtalas saw that her client showed signs of choking. Alice immediately had a family member call 911 and began performing abdominal thrusts, dislodging the item from the client’s throat.

Thanks to the great observations of our workers, the clients involved in these cases were able to receive the best care possible. Thank you Dianne, Shayesteh, Rowena, Belaynesh and Alice for your keen attention to our clients’ well-being!

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• “Documentation is an important component of assessing a client’s well being and is a vital step in ensuring the safety of all of our clients. I would like to personally congratulate PSW Tusiwen Sumarjo for her excellent documentation and verbal communication skills. She is always on top of any issues that appear with her clients – she reports pertinent health information in a timely manner not only to her CSS but also to the on site supervisor of the facility in which she works. Thank you Tusiwen for being the eyes and ears of your clients who sometimes cannot advocate for themselves.” – Dionne Jacobs