Inside the Circle – February 1, 2022

Circle of Care has updated Employment Status for the 2022 calendar year, which is based on the total number of hours employees worked for the 2021 calendar year. Any PSW or Homemaker who worked more than 1300 hours in 2021 has been designated as Full Time for 2022. For those employees who did not work 1300 hours, they are designated as Part Time for 2022.

Full Time employees received 51 hours of paid sick time and are eligible for our Group Benefits program.

If you would like to confirm your Employment Status for the 2022 calendar year, you can contact HRDept@circleofcare.com. Please note that your hours worked year-to-date appear on your mobile phone, and that the next update to Employment Status will be in January 2023.

During the latest round of Collective Bargaining, SEIU negotiated an Extended Health Benefit and Dental Care package for employees and their families.

January 17 was a hectic and busy day for our organization. Toronto and the surrounding areas received 55 centimeters of snow in a relatively short time frame, resulting in challenging road conditions, stuck and stranded vehicles, highway shutdowns, delays and cancellations to public transportation, and slippery and snow-filled sidewalks.

The intense snowfall delayed many Personal Support Workers from completing their scheduled visits on time, and prevented some PSWs from being able to attend their visits altogether.

However, our amazing Personal Support Workers were still able to provide 3,758 visits to 1,327 clients! Coordination staff reworked schedules to ensure PSWs could complete vital client visits, especially in cases with vulnerable clients who live alone.

Together as an organization, we worked hard for the safety and care of our clients, who rely on our support to continue to live healthy and happy lives at home.

Learn more about the important contributions that Black Canadians have made to our country.

This day is often referred to as Chinese New Year; however, many East Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year besides China (who refer to the holiday as ‘Spring Festival), including Korea (Seollal), Vietnam (Tết), Indonesia (Imlek), and Malaysia (Kongsi Raya). They celebrate the Lunar New Year because they follow the Lunar Calendar.

Following the Lunar calendar, each year is connected with a different zodiac, which is represented in 12 animals. Though the countries may have some differences, the year 2022 is the Water Tiger.

We are pleased to welcome the following new Personal Support Workers and Homemakers to our team:

• Rina Antoniette Puti
• Ali Albalawi
• Grace Obewu
• Dave Marc Lubiano
• Rachel Shalmieva
• Dovelin Fernandez
• Joselyn Castillo
• Femi Adewole
• Xavier Roach
• Tayo Odeyale

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• “Alyssa Singh was our Client Service Coordinator for several weeks. For each point of contact she went above and beyond to accommodate my grandmothers schedule and to find PSWs that were suitable for her needs. Alyssa was patient, knowledgeable, and a true professional. Anyone communicating with her can tell she takes pride in her work and understands the challenges families face. My family and I are very grateful for the support she has provided and thank Alyssa for all of her hard work.” – Client’s family member
• “We would like to thank PSW Tetyana Kharlamova for her continuous care, patience and responsible. She treats my mother like her own family. We would recommend Tetyana to anybody in need of a special touch in their lives.” – Client
• “My mother is legally blind and my PSW Maya Serebnitzky continues to make a significant positive difference in my mother’s day to day life. She goes out of her way to describe many aspects of our lives and society for my mother so she does not feel excluded from the world. Much appreciation and many thanks for Maya for all her care towards my mom.” – Client’s daughter
• “Sahra Ali is very thoughtful, caring and has perfect communication skills. Even during the most difficult pandemic times, last minute schedule changes, and PSW shortages, Sahra always goes above and beyond to find a worker for my mom. My mom and I are endlessly grateful for Sahra for her extensive workmanship.” – Client’s daughter
• “Jessica Ruan provided me with great deal of support during my very busy On Call Rotation. She was very professional, efficient and organized. Together we managed a very high Volume of COVID-19 cases. I would like to thank her very much for her amazing team work and all the efforts that she put into our work. I really appreciate it!” – Marina Dalgetty
• “Thank you Reeshma Harripersad for the welcoming environment you help create for our PSWs and Homemakers at the New Hire Support Forum. The clear and compassionate coaching you provide to our PSWs helps ensure they feel supported and set up for success in the community. I so appreciate your consistency and care and I know our new hires do as well!” – Allison Kujbida

It’s the time to bring attention the importance of cardiovascular health, and highlight what we can do to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease. This includes making healthy lifestyle choices such as:

• Quitting smoking
• Eating a healthy & balanced diet
• Getting enough sleep
• Exercising regularly
• Monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol levels

For our February Care Mails, each Weekly Wellness tips will focus on the important lifestyle risk factors for cardiovascular health – as many of these risk factors are within your power to control to lower your risk.

For additional resources, please visit here:

• Healthy Snack Ideas
• Healthy Eating Check Up
• Healthy Active Living
• Stress Fit Quiz
• Managing Cholesterol Levels

The winter months bring more snowfall and icy conditions, which increase the risk of injuries and accidents. Here are some tips to ensure your safe arrival as you travel in the community.

Making sure that you are wearing proper footwear is an important part of preventing slips, trips and falls. Click to read more about proper footwear for winter.