Inside the Circle – March 8, 2022

As part of the Ontario Community Support Association’s (OCSA) March for Meals campaign, Circle of Care was recently featured in an article highlighting our Meals on Wheels program, and the struggles that programs like ours face across the province. Both Josi Sarne, Community Engagement & Growth Director, and Lisa Rae, Volunteers, Intake and MOW Services Director, were interviewed to share their thoughts on this topic. Meals on Wheels volunteers also provided insights on the importance of the program.

Congratulations to this week’s Champions of Care nominees:

• “Sahra Ali is very helpful. She goes above and beyond and helped me out by taking my evening shifts when needed. She is very flexible and a true team player. Thank you Sahra.” – Jessica Collins

Throughout March, we’re sharing our volunteers’ stories on why they volunteer as a Meals on Wheels driver. Be sure to follow us on our social media channels for more content like this!

For this month’s Recommends, we’re sharing inspirational content in honour of Women’s History Month!

February Showcase: Working With Clients to Help Them Understand Safety Concerns

The Importance of Reporting Concerns
PSWs are responsible for reporting their concerns regarding client care, emergencies, or safety issues that they become aware of while providing service. The safety of our clients is extremely important and our PSWs who have the most contact with clients are often the first to notice safety concerns.

An Example of PSWs Reporting a Safety Concern
Early in February, a client began requesting that PSWs walk with him in the emergency stairwell for exercises during their visits. PSWs Escarlet and Efryl both refused to take the client to the stairwell and explained to the client this was an unsafe practice. Unfortunately, this typically resulted in the client becoming upset with the PSWs. Escarlet showed the client his care plan and indicated that walking in the stairwell was not permitted. Efryl contacted the office and the client’s CSS spoke with the client and explain that the stairwell was not a safe place to walk. The client understood on both occasions and agreed to walk in the hallway instead.

Escarlet and Efryl consistently reported their concerns about the client’s request and were able to find ways to help the client understand the risks involved in walking in the stairwell. Their commitment to safety and ability to support the client by providing a safer alternative reduced the risk of a dangerous fall.

Lessons Learned:

• Client safety is a top priority, and in some cases, ensuring safety can lead to difficult conversations with clients.
• Explaining the risks and presenting other options can help clients understand why we refuse to promote certain activities.
• Reporting requests for unsafe activities is important. This ensures that the CSS is aware that the client has limited safety awareness and may engage in risky behaviours.

Avoid skipping meals or especially restrictive diets. When you wait too long to eat, or deny yourself too many types of foods, you are more likely to give up or make unhealthy choices. Just as overeating can spoil efforts to get healthy, starving yourself for ‘yo-yo’ dieting can also eventually slow down your metabolism and increase your risk of chronic disease