Inside the Circle – June 20, 2023

You have been enrolled in a new course in Dayforce Learning called, ‘Elder Abuse Prevention and Reporting.’ The course will introduce or refresh your understanding of elder abuse signs, risk factors, and ways to respond to elder abuse. This is an optional 30-minute course and we strongly encourage taking the time to learn the new information and tips for encountering elder abuse in the community! To access the training log into your Dayforce account.

All employees are reminded that they must ensure that all workplace injuries, incidents and hazards are reported. If you are injured while working, please make sure to report this to the Call Centre, your Service Coordinator or your CSS. All employees are encouraged to review our resources related to incident reporting below.

If you have any questions, please reach out to HRDept@circleofcare.com

The bathroom can be a risky place for clients to have a fall due to slick, hard surfaces combined with moisture. PSWs play an important role in ensuring washrooms are safe by reporting their concerns to the office and ensuring clients are safe in the washroom during the provision of care.

Missing Safety Equipment in Client’s Homes
A few weeks ago, one of our PSWs was assisting a client with their hygiene in the washroom. The PSW was a replacement worker and was less familiar with the client. The PSW thought they had gathered all of the required items prior to starting care. However, after completing oral hygiene, the client asked the worker to get another towel. During the few short minutes while the worker was out of sight to complete the client’s request, the client lost balance and fell. The client had some soreness lasting for a few days post fall.

Lessons Learned:
When providing care to a client the PSW is not familiar with, the PSW should confirm with the client that all required items have been gathered prior to assisting with any bathroom care. The client should always be asked “is there anything else we might need?”

If the client does request additional items after care has begun, the PSW should inform the client that they must transfer to a safe position before the PSW can leave the client in the washroom. For many clients, this would mean they are left in a seated position. PSWs could also suggest to the client that they get the additional items after they have exited the washroom and returned to the bedroom or a common area where they can be seated comfortably. If there are family members present in the home, the PSW can ask them for assistance with either getting the missing item.

If the client does not have the right equipment to shower safely, PSWs should call the office to report. In most cases, a sponge bath will be recommended until safety equipment is in place.

The risk of falls in the washroom can be reduced with the use of grab bars, raised toilet seats, automatic night lights, shower chairs and non-slip mats.

To achieve maximum health benefits, the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of physical activity per week. The more physical activity you incorporate in your routine, the greater the benefit to your overall health and well-being. Being physically active can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and can also lead to increased fitness, strength, mobility and improved mental health.

Taking a daily walk is a great way to contribute to your physical activity levels. During the month of July, we will be running a Step Count Challenge where employees can participate by tracking their weekly step count for the chance to win Applause points. The Challenge will run July 4 – July 28.

All employees will be welcome to participate in the challenge, and more details will be released in the July 4th Inside the Circle Newsletter.

Circle of Care is now offering discounted home and auto insurance through our discount program, Perkopolis. For more details, please visit the link below.

Take a photo with the pin on and send it to the communications team. Your photo will be shared on our Social Media channels. Share your Pride pin photo by emailing Mary at man@circleofcare.com.

On Dayforce, staff now have access to educational resources on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Allyship. You may find these courses on Dayforce, under the ‘Learning’ tab in the ‘Open Catalogue’ section.

As a reminder to all employees, it is important to practice regular hand hygiene, and continue to monitor yourself for any symptoms to reduce the risk of COVID-19. Employees who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should remain home from work and take a COVID-19 test.

To reduce the risk of becoming sick or re-infected with COVID-19, we encourage employees to do the following:

• Practice the 5 moments of hand hygiene
• Make sure that you are feeling well, and have no COVID-19 symptoms before starting your shift. Stay home from work if you are not feeling well.
•  If your client is experiencing any symptoms, please report this to your CSS or via the ALC checklist
• Follow current PPE protocols such as universal masking and donning additional PPE based on screening, or when advised to do so because of potential exposure
• Practice masking outside of work, or when in highly populated areas
• Get your COVID-19 booster as they come available to you
• Get your annual flu shot

To review our organizational resources related to COVID-19, please visit our PSW portal page by clicking the button below.

Are you in a cooking slump? If you want to try something quick, simple, and healthy, take a look at Minimalist Baker. All recipes contain 10 ingredients or less, use only 1 bowl, or take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Click on the link below to find new recipies every week, with a mix of sweet and savory flavours. Recipies feature breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

When taking vacation, why do we need to apply separately for 2 weeks with our phones and any remaining time by form?

The system in place only allows workers to submit for vacation 2 weeks at a time. This is done to make sure we have enough availability of staff to meet the needs of our clients. Anything more than two weeks therefore needs to be submitted through a “Time Off Request Form.”

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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.