Inside the Circle – November 8, 2022

Hello PSWs and Homemakers! I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself; I am the new Learning and Development Manager at Circle of Care – Teresa Bryson.  I would like to announce that we have published new paid courses in Dayforce on the topic of dementia and how to best deal with client behaviours.

It is mandatory for you to complete 6 courses, including Dementia 1.1 Introduction to Dementia. For the remaining 5 courses you may choose whatever interests you or that you feel you would get the most value from.  You may complete all 12 courses but it is only mandatory to complete 6 courses.

Course Details

Number of courses: 12

Time to complete each course: 15 mins each (or less)

Paid time: You will be paid 15 mins for each course completed (a report will be sent to Payroll)

How to access the course:

Login to Dayforce Learning – Learning

Navigate to Courses Catalog – in the Dementia training Catalog; Select desired course

Click – Enroll

Now you’re ready to start the course!

If you have any questions or issues regarding the courses please contact me at tbryson@circleofcare.com

The Learning and Development team appreciate you sharing your learning opportunities and challenges with us. So that we can get an accurate picture and learn more from you, please complete the L & D survey – it is now available on the PSW portal (under the Learning tab) or by clicking the button below:

Thank you in advance!

If you have any issues in Dayforce saying your course is ‘in progress’ when you indeed have completed the course through to the end – please contact IT help desk to report the issue – call 647-943-1332. If we don’t know about the issue we can’t fix it and or get accurate completion reports.

Alternatively you may contact learning.development@circleofcare.com with any e-learning comments, concerns or navigation issues. Thank you!

We have updated our supply pick up locations, and have listed this information for you on the PSW Portal. You can find this information on the home page of the PSW Portal by scrolling down on the home page and clicking on “Supply Pick Up”.

As we have highlighted in a previous update, our Adult Day Program pick up site is closing, and we are opening a new location at the UPS store near Dufferin & Finch.

Our workers play a vital role in ensuring our clients are safe and comfortable as we transition to colder temperatures and into another Canadian winter. Older adults can be more sensitive to the cold and exposure to cold temperatures can have negative impacts on their health. Concerns about the temperature of a client’s home should be reported to the main office, along with other home environment concerns.

PSW Arlene found herself in this situation in the middle of October. She arrived at a client’s home and found that the house was extremely cold and the heat was switched off. Arlene determined that the client was confused and unsure of why the heat was not on, so she assisted the client with turning the heat on. Arlene recognized this was a risk that should be reported to the office, which she did immediately. The CSS was able to follow up with the family to ensure that the client’s home environment and potential memory challenges are monitored.

Lessons learned:

• Workers who identify a risk in the client’s home environment, including temperature, should take action as quickly as possible to ensure the client’s safety.
• Workers should continue to report any concerns they notice while in the client’s home, to the office. This will ensure that the CSS and family are able to check in regularly to ensure the client is managing well in their home.

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 make sure you book an appointment for your next booster shot as eligible.

As a reminder, once you have received your booster dose(s) please submit a copy to HRDept@circleofcare.com. You will also receive an additional 1 hour of payment on an upcoming pay cheque.

November is recognized as Diabetes Awareness Month across the globe. Diabetes is a disease in which your body either can’t produce insulin or can’t properly use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas and it functions to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood. Blood sugar levels must be regulated to ensure the body functions properly. Too much blood sugar can cause damage to organs, blood vessels and nerves. Your body also needs insulin in order to use sugar for energy. Eleven million Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes. Chances are, diabetes affects someone you know.

• Learn the facts about diabetes – Understand the various types of diabetes, their symptoms and the role of medications.
• Assess your risk for developing diabetes – Anyone over the age of 40 should be tested for diabetes every 3 years. If you have 1 or more factors, you should speak to your doctor and consider being tested earlier and more frequently.
• Learn how to live well with diabetes – There are 7 key areas of self-care behaviours that can help manage diabetes.

NOVEMBER

November is Exercise & Falls Prevention Month, Diabetes Awareness Month

• Nov 11: Remembrance Day
• Nov 15: National Grief & Bereavement Day
• Nov 22: Happy Gut, Happy Mind Webinar

Gut health has an impact on the health of your entire body, with increasing evidence suggesting a healthy gut microbiome is important for mental health, as well as an effective immune system. In this webinar hosted by NYTHP, Mary Wu, a Registered Nutritional Health Specialist from the Toronto Metabolic Clinic, will go through practical ways in which you can promote a healthy gut, and in turn, a healthy mind.

Date: Tuesday, November 22nd
Time: 2:00pm – 3:00pm