Inside the Circle – April 4, 2023

Circle of Care requires that all PSWs and Homemakers be certified with valid and current CPR training, and that employees be properly fitted for N95 masks. Upcoming sessions for both CPR and mask fit have been booked for November. Appointments must be booked through our vendor, First Aid Care, and can be booked by calling 905-272-9214 or by clicking the button down below.

Important reminders – please read:

• Please arrive at the training session 15 minutes before the class begins.
• After you have booked your appointment, please speak to your Service Coordinator if you need any scheduling arrangements and have clients that you will need to be booked off from to attend the CPR and/or mask fit training. Please try to book a date/time where you do not have client visits scheduled.
• Your schedule will be blocked as ‘unavailable’ for you to attend the session. You do not need to use your phone to sign into the training.
• You will be paid a total of 4 hours for the training (CPR) and 1 hour for mask fit – this will be added to your schedule 1-2 weeks after the session has been completed and you will receive payment. The code will appear on your paystub as ‘Miscellaneous’
• All bookings/cancellations must be managed through the online portal. You will receive a confirmation email/text notification and will also receive a session reminder.

We also encourage you to review our CPR Tips and Guidance below.

As per Article 3.03 of the Collective Agreement, employees are reminded that they will need to work 1300 hours in this current calendar year to qualify for/maintain full time status for the 2024 calendar year. If you are interested in working more hours or expanding your availability, please contact your Service Coordinator.

For more information, please visit our Employment Status and Sick Time FAQ or the Collective Agreement by clicking below.

We would like to remind our employees that the language you use in your interactions with clients is important. We have put together a short video outlining what person-centered language is, and how you can use it when you speak to clients.

The Learning & Development team would like to thank all our staff who completed their Dementia courses by March 31. We have randomly selected a winner for the $100 Applause points prize from the employees who completed their training.

The winner is: Marjorie Joy Sison.

Congratulations Marjorie! Your Applause account will points will be added shortly.

Why do we continue to have to wear a mask, especially when we are fully vaccinated?

Our Infection Prevention team continues to monitor the situation and we have regular meeting with other IPAC experts within the healthcare sector to determine the PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) requirements our staff should wear. Yes, our staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19; however, evidence shows that vaccination does not always prevent transmission of COVID-19. Additionally, there are also cold and flu viruses, as well as other infections that can be spread from one person to another during close contact. Not all infections have vaccines available, so wearing a mask is an enhanced form of protection for everyone. At this time, we still require all client facing staff to wear a mask during home visits/client interactions. If there are any changes in our masking requirements for staff, we will let you know. Your safety and the safety of our clients is our number one priority.

I would like to know about the gym benefit.

Thank you for your question. Last week, we highlighted a benefit available to our PSWs and Homemakers from Body + Soul Fitness. Through our partnership with North York Toronto Health Partners, you are eligible for:
– 3 months of free gym membership
– 1 free fitness and lifestyle assessment
– 2 free personal training sessions

For more information, and to register for this benefit, please visit: https://www.bodyandsoul.ca/nythp/

We invite you to submit your questions or feedback below. Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers, so if you’ve asked a question that hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you in the coming weeks.