Inside the Circle- August 13, 2024

After 30 years of dedicated service, we bid a fond farewell to PSW Anita Alfonso-Allague. Anita, who will be retiring on August 16, has been an invaluable member of our PSW team, bringing compassion, professionalism, and a steadfast commitment to the care of others. Her contributions have touched the lives of many, and her presence will be greatly missed.

Please join us in congratulating Anita on a well-deserved retirement and wishing her all the best in this next chapter of her life!

Heat and humidity can be dangerous for elderly clients, but remember that they put extra stress on your body too!

To prevent heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heat stroke:

• Stay hydrated by drinking water regularly throughout the day
• Wear light, loose clothing that allows sweat to evaporate
• Wear sunscreen with a good SPF to prevent sunburns
• Take breaks, especially after completing physically demanding tasks or if the client’s home does not have air conditioning
• Lower your body temperature by putting your hands under a tap with cold water
• Find shelter when you have a break in your schedule. The City of Toronto provides air-conditioned cooling centers for the summer season.

to prevent slips, trips, and falls!

When you’re on your feet all day, one wrong step can lead to serious injury! Here are some simple steps you can take to prevent slips, trips and falls:

• Avoid rushing – Slow down and avoid distractions so you can get where you are going safely
• Look before you step – Watch out for hazards like spills, objects, or uneven surfaces
• Clean up spills immediately or report them to the appropriate personnel.
• Wear sturdy shoes with good traction

The right shoes can make all the difference!  Proper footwear is an investment in your safety.

Be sure to choose footwear that suits your work environment:

• Wear closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles, especially when working in client care areas.
• Consider weather conditions when working outdoors or in the community.
• Make sure your shoes fit well and are in good condition.

To understand the specific footwear requirements for your work area, review our Safe Footwear Policy on PSW portal.

Protect your body from strain, injuries, back pain, and fatigue with good body mechanics, especially when lifting:

• Keep your head upright, shoulders back, and your lower back in its normal position
• Do not twist your body – instead, always use a side step or pivot, and move your torso, from your shoulders to your hips, as one solid unit.
• Set your feet into a comfortable and solid wide base of support when lifting.
• Flex your knees, distribute your weight, and keep your back straight rather than bending.
• Hold loads close to your body to lessen the effect of their weight
• Bend at your hips and knees instead of your waist
• Know your limits – don’t try to do more than you can handle

You deserve a safe and healthy work environment where you feel valued, engaged, and able to thrive in your role.

Circle of Care’s Psychological Illness Prevention Program aims to provide resources, procedures, and training to support your mental health.

We have made some important updates to our company policies. Here are some of the main changes:

• Right to Disconnect
• Code of Conduct – Values and Employee responsibilities
• Confidentiality – Maintaining employee and organizational confidentiality
• Fraud and Theft – Employee expectations, Management responsibilities, and Response plan
• Employee Performance Management – Responsibilities of employees, Supervisors, and Managers; Commitment to fairness and equity
• Whistleblower Policy – Employee and Manager responsibilities
• Educational Leave – Return-to-work

Have you had your mask fit tested and CPR training? Circle of Care requires all PSWs and Homemakers to be certified with valid and current CPR training and properly fitted for N95 masks.

Book your CPR training and mask fit sessions through First Aid Care today!

You can also book by calling 905-272-9214

From individual microagressions to systemic issues, unconscious biases create obstacles and have significant consequences for individuals and organizations.

This video explores these issues and provides practical strategies to recognize and counteract unconscious bias in your role.

Circle of Care is proud to offer discount tickets to this year’s CNE!

Use our corporate code to save on gate prices and more when you buy your CNE tickets online.

How can we obtain 1300 hours in a year if we don’t have enough hours in a week? And don’t answer me by telling me to add more to my availability.

There are many factors that need to be considered when scheduling clients.  Client needs, location, time requests, travel distance and PSW availability are some of the main areas of focus. As a result, Circle of Care cannot guarantee that there will be clients available within a specific worker’s work area and/or availability.

Some solutions to consider outside of increasing your availability: If you’re willing, you can speak with your service coordinator about opening up your area of work to include surrounding areas, keeping in mind the 1hr travel expectation. Additionally, you may request to be placed within a “Cluster site or Interval care” building, if your area includes one.

Keep in mind, however, this does not guarantee hours. It is recommended that you maintain communication with your Service Coordinator in order to advise on any changes to your availability, including requesting additional hours when your availability allows.

I have witnessed coworkers going around asking people about how many hours they got for the week. They need to stop it. They are assuming that other people are getting more than them. Stop telling people your work hours, it’s none of their business. I am so fed up with this hours thing, as soon as you say “how are you?” to some workers, their answer is asking you about your hours.

We understand that this can be a frustrating scenario to be in. While you cannot control the conversation others choose to have, this is a conversation you can choose to not participate in. You could kindly advise your colleague that you’re not comfortable engaging in the topic and you’d much prefer to discuss something other than work.

Workers ask for hours, and when they get the hours, they complain about the client and that it’s too difficult. They need to make up their minds.

This certainly can an uneasy conversation to be a part of. We provide care to a variety of clients from various backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. We must take a non-judgmental approach when providing care.  A gentle reminder of this could be beneficial to redirecting this kind of conversation. If you have a legitimate complaint, please speak directly to your service coordinator or CSS.

For the newsletter for July 30 most of the links are not accessible. I called IT and they advised me to open it on my personal phone.

We’re sorry you’re experiencing this issue! We are glad that you reached out to IT. The issue does not seem to be widespread, so hopefully opening on a different device does the trick.

Is it possible to include medication administration in our training/learning course?

Medication administration is considered a delegated act. This is a formal process by which your CSS, who is authorized to administer medication, delegates the performance of that procedure to a PSW, who is not authorized by legislation to perform it. In a case where a CSS is delegating an act such as medication administration to a PSW, they will work with you directly, and train you on how to administer the medication.

Delegated acts like medication administration are client-specific, meaning that they will be different for each client. For this reason, we do not offer any e-learning courses on this topic.

For more information, you can read our policy on medication management: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13hk36nslHAGDGmJEvBPgPYRWwa-yi4aS/view

The CNE link is not working.

We’re sorry to hear that the CNE link isn’t working for you. We’ve pulled some of the main info from the link for you:

How to Buy Tickets:

• Visit www.theex.com.
• Click on “Corporate Sales” located at the bottom of the page.
• Click on “Corporate Login” under Group or Promo Code section.
  • Company Name: Circle of Care
  • Access Code: 20246CJN4GHG
• Complete transaction.
• Print tickets at your own printer or present on mobile device.

Important Notice: The access code provided above is intended for the use of the members/employees of Circle of Care only. Unauthorized use of the code may result in the cancellation of the code without notice.

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.