Inside the Circle – January 18, 2022

Yesterday wasn’t easy. We received so much snow that City of Toronto Mayor John Tory declared a “major snowstorm condition” to help with the snow removal process. The storm dragged most of the GTA to a standstill and people were told to stay home.

Yet, during this time, our vulnerable clients still needed help, and you fought your way through the wintery conditions to be there. Thank you for the important work that you do for our clients each and every day, but especially yesterday.

A Letter from the City

We received a lovely letter from the City of Toronto Supportive Housing Staff to share with you:

To our Wonderful Supportive Housing PSWs:

Thank you all so much for your dedication and excellent care to the supportive housing clients all year through – especially during the pandemic. Your care makes a difference in the clients’ lives every day.
And a special thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty on Monday (Jan. 17th) during the snow storm. For travelling through the storm, staying for an extra shift, calling clients to let them know about changes, working as a team and just doing your job with excellence.
THANK YOU! We truly appreciate you!

Farah, Velma, Janice, Jennifer, Abebe, Narda, Cheryl, Joy, Abiya, Danielle, Madi, Carolyn, Nicole, Lianne
The Staff and Managers of the City of Toronto Supportive Housing

Born in Toronto on January 21 1922, Lincoln Alexander is celebrated as an advocate for antiracism and education. Every year on January 21 we celebrate Lincoln Alexander Day as a way of highlighting and remembering the importance of his legacy.

Who was Lincoln Alexander?

Lincoln Alexander was the first Black Canadian to:

• sit in the House of Commons,
• be appointed as Lieutenant-Governor,
• chair the Workers Compensation Board.

Throughout his impressive career he also:

• served as Minster of Labour,
• accepted a role as a chancellor for the University of Guelph,
• was appointed Chairman of the Canadian Race Relations foundation,
• was the recipient of many achievements and honours.

What can we learn from Lincoln Alexander’s legacy?

His passion and dedication can inspire us to believe in our power to enact change and persevere to greatness in spite of adversity. He invites us to acknowledge differences between individuals, but to appreciate those differences, and to use them as opportunities to learn more about each other and grow as individually and as a collective. Lincoln Alexander Day serves as a reminder of the power of commitment, positivity, and perseverance, and of the importance to fight against prejudice and discrimination and not back down.

We’ve developed some tips to help keep you safe as you travel to and from your client visits.

The North York Cough, Cold and COVID Test Clinic is available to provide PCR testing for Circle of Care staff. Our HR team will inform you if you need to book a PCR test.

While booster shots are not mandatory, we strongly encourage all our staff to receive booster doses of the COVID vaccine to provide the strongest protection against the Omicron variant. Currently, there is a shortage of Pfizer vaccines in Canada, and as a result, most people over 30 are being offered Moderna only. We are publishing the information below to help you understand why mixed doses have been approved, and what type of protection you can expect after receiving a mixed dose.

If you have received a booster dose, you can download your updated vaccine certificate with official QR code or visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/get-proof/ to learn how to get your enhanced vaccine certificate. Make sure to save and submit your proof of vaccination to HRDept@circleofcare.com. Once you have submitted your booster information, you will receive an additional 1 hour of paid time. This will be added to an upcoming pay with the code ‘vaccine payout’.

Effective immediately, referral bonuses for the following two positions have been increased to $1000:

• Case Manager
• Russian Speaking Social Worker

If you know someone that would be a good fit for these roles and would like to refer them to us, please connect with Allison Kujbida at akujbida@circleofcare.com.

A big thank you to the following Personal Support Workers for successfully referring a member of their network for Personal Support Worker career opportunities with Circle of Care:

• Lorelie Directo
• Meraldin Mendoza
• Gloria Morales
• Irene Akiatan
• Rocelle Mae Alban
• Gina Macaspac
• Venus Joaquin

Would you like to refer a candidate for an open role? Complete the referral form by clicking on the link below.

December Showcase: Client Safety Reporting

To keep our clients safe, PSWs are required to report any changes to the way a client Acts, Looks, and Copes to the office and their CSS. This policy makes sure that the appropriate actions can be taken.

A Client Too Sick to Leave at Home Alone

On December 24, PSW Daniela Rola visited a client who was feeling unwell. This client was alone in her home, and her family was not able to get there to be with her. Daniela felt that her client was too sick to leave in her home alone, and told the client she wanted to call 911 for an emergency assessment.

Client & Family Refuse EMS; Daniela Contacts CSS for Support

The client refused, so Daniela spoke to the client’s daughter, who asked her not to call 911. Daniela insisted that the client needed emergency services, and called her CSS for support. Her CSS supported Daniela’s decision to phone 911. Daniela spoke to the client again and explained the need to call 911 for an assessment to determine if this client was well enough to stay home alone. The client finally agreed, and Daniela called 911. The paramedics arrived, and assessed the client. The client was transferred to the hospital for further assessment and treatment.

Prioritizing the Safety of the Client Above All Else

Daniela acted as a strong advocate for her client, prioritizing the client’s safety above all else. While clients have the right to refuse emergency services, it is our responsibility to advocate for their health by helping our client understand the risk and benefit involved so that our client can make an informed decision.

Lessons Learned

• PSWs can call the office immediately for support if a client refuses to allow PSW to call 911 in an emergency.
• Families and/or clients may initially refuse to call emergency services, but providing more information about why we feel there is a need to call can help them understand and feel comfortable with calling 911.
• Reporting to the office when a client has changes in the way they Act, Look and Cope allows the CSS the opportunity to speak with the PSW and client to determine what adjustments need to be made to offer client the best possible care.

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• “I worked with Sheree Roberts last week on the evening shift and weekend. She is an excellent example of a super coworker and team player. I experienced some challenges with doing HPG and asked Sheree for help. She helped, explained, and was very patient. We resolved all of the issues together. It is such a pleasure to work with Sheree.” – Yulia Ioffe
• “I would like to nominate PSW Kristy Goodfellow for stepping up and helping the organization. Kristy takes the initiative and calls us to see if we need extra assistance and helps out by working over her availability. Kristy knows given the times of COVID-19 we are under a lot of stress and she has been such a great help!” – Muna Sheerin
• “Anett Pecsi works on the Service Coordination team, and trust me when I tell you she is literally always available to help and do whatever she can. She demonstrates all the qualities a staff member should have, including willingness, accountability, availability, and friendliness. Anett please keep up the good quality work. I am honoured to work with you!” – Shane McLean
• “A big thank you to PSW Meraldin Mendoza for referring the highest number of successful candidates from her network for Personal Support Worker career opportunities with Circle of Care. Thank you Meraldin for all your efforts towards building up our team!” – Allison Kujbida