Inside the Circle – August 16, 2022

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.

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 cheque.

All SEIU Circle of Care members are invited to Happy Purple Day. The event will take place at Earl Bales Park (4169 Bathurst St.) on Saturday August 27 from 3:00pm to 8:30pm. Light Refreshments will be served. RSVP not required.

Circle of Care is hosting a 2-part virtual workshop on Bereavement communication and support specifically for service providers, professionals and volunteers.

This training will focus on communication styles, difficult conversations, cultural humility. Along with discussing complex grief reactions, compassion fatigue, and how to help your client move forward.

This is not a paid training opportunity.

When: October 13 & 20, 12:00pm – 2:00pm

AUGUST

Aug 24: Summer Social

Elinor Gal, Shayna Pilc, and Tara Stickwood all went above and beyond and supported a client and their dog, helping them move to new homes. Elinor’s client was ready to move on to a Long Term Home Care. But, she was hesitant to leave – worrying about what would happen to her dog.

Knowing that the dog’s safety and comfort was important to the client, Shayna jumped in to help transport the client’s dog to the Toronto Humane Society. Elinor and Tara then connected with other professionals from different organizations to ensure the smooth transition for the client to Long Term Care.

In June 2022, all three staff members were presented with Circle of Care’s Award for Collaboration through our Champions of Care program. Read about their amazing story that highlights collaboration, teamwork, and care!

Sinai Health Foundation invites you to the next Sinai Live Town Hall taking place on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

This virtual session, hosted by Melanie Ng of Breakfast Television and CityNews, will feature an expert panel, including Dr. Vanessa Allen, Dr. Robert Maunder and Dr. Howard Ovens. As children return to school and the fall holidays approach, the panelists will provide an update on COVID-19 and answer the top questions from the community.

July Showcase: Refused Visits

Early in July, we were informed of a client who reported they had not received any services since January following their intake with the HCCSS. The client and family reported that PSWs had not been arriving to provide service, but the HCCSS determined billing had taken place. Upon investigation, we found that service had been provided to the client, but the client was often dismissing workers early, asking workers to complete light housekeeping duties only, or refusing care altogether. Further, the APRs that were submitted to the HCCSS had been rejected and did not go through. As a result, the HCCSS was not aware of the refused visits either.

Although the billing that took place was accurate and the workers were notifying the office when care was refused, it was not clear to the Service Coordinator and the Client Service Supervisor that the client was regularly refusing visits. Had the CSS been aware, they could have followed up with the HCCSS to determine if the client’s care plan should be changed to better suit their needs and preferences.

Lessons Learned:

• PSWs should report regular refusals of care directly to the CSS. This should include instances where the client regularly refuses personal care that is on their care plan and instead asks for housekeeping only.
• When APRs are submitted, they should be checked to ensure they have gone through to the HCCSS successfully. If they are rejected, the person submitting should call to report live to the HCCSS

In July, Circle of Care hosted a webinar on the topic of refusal of care that included practical strategies on reducing resistance. Watch the video to learn more!

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• “This past Saturday Anett Pecsi, Yulia Ioffe, and Terri Bourque worked well as a team and managed to get the To-Do-List from 100 visits down to nine visits for the rest of the weekend before noon. These three ladies demonstrated the importance of effective communication and collaboration!” – Johanne Loughrey
• “Jessica Collins is a fantastic support with the Service Coordination team. After hours, on July 27th, an urgent situation arose with one of her PSWs while providing care. Jessica stepped up to assist with a solution on her time off. Once again, she showed her dedication to her clients, and the safety of the workers in her caseload. Thank you Jess for always being there when needed!” – Terri Bourque
• “Lina Deich followed right up with me when she got back from vacation. She did a wonderful job scheduling a visit with my mom and has already gotten extra help approved.” – Client’s daughter