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.

Important reminders:

• Arrive 15 minutes before the CPR training or mask fit session begins.
• Try to book a date/time where you do not have client visits scheduled. If you need to make any scheduling arrangements after you have booked your session, speak to your Service Coordinator.
• 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. These hours will be added to your schedule and paid out 1-2 weeks after the session has been completed. They will appear on your paystub as ‘Miscellaneous’.
• Manage your bookings or cancellations through the online portal.
• You will receive a confirmation email/text notification when you book your session and a session reminder.

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

You can also book by calling 905-272-9214

Has someone gone above and beyond at work? Give them a High Five!

The High Five program lets you publicly recognize staff members for their outstanding work. High Fives will be posted in your weekly Inside the Circle newsletter.

To give a high five, just click on the button below or use the link in the rotating banner on the Portal home page.

Please note: We do not accept anonymous submissions for this program. High Fives must be submitted by an individual person, whether they are a staff member or member of the community.

I have already added my availability and am also willing to work outside my region but have not received any positive response. I am working less than 12 hour per week , which makes it difficult to manage daily living expenses. What further steps can I take to increase my working hours? Please let me know because I’ve extended my hours, and I am still not getting enough visits.

We are sorry to hear this. We would suggest to double check your availability with your Service Coordinator and your CSS that is updated in the system. Please feel free to let your SC know if you are available for extra days so we can add it the system and let the team know that you are available to take more clients if needed during your availability.

Why is Circle of Care offering taxi services to some PSWs to take them from client to client? Each PSW should be treated without partially. This is not fair to the rest of the workers.

At Circle of Care, we are committed to fostering a safe and equitable working environment for all our employees. We understand that the decision to offer taxi services to some PSWs may raise concerns about fairness, so we want to clarify the reasoning behind this practice.

Offering taxis is not a routine or ongoing policy, but rather a response to specific needs that arise to support both our staff and clients. Taxi services are provided on a case-by-case basis, typically in exceptional situations where they are necessary to ensure uninterrupted care for our clients. This may include instances where a PSW agrees to work outside their regular availability, provides care in an area beyond their usual working zone, or is needed for urgent client care. If you have any further questions or would like more details, please feel free to reach out to your CSS.

 I’m having ongoing issues with logging out, and I’m having a hard time contacting the office/call center for an override.

We’re sorry to hear that you’re experiencing issues with logging out and having trouble connecting with the office staff. We understand how important it is to resolve these concerns promptly.

To ensure a smooth sign-out process, please make sure you’ve completed all required tasks during your visit and marked them as completed within the app. If you’re still encountering difficulties with the app, we recommend reaching out to our IT team for further assistance.

As for contacting the call center, please note that they handle a high volume of calls daily, each with varying levels of urgency. To help ensure you’re directed to the right queue, be sure to select “verification” when calling for assistance. Alternatively, you can also reach out to your Service Coordinator for verification.

How extreme does the weather have to get before you tell staff not to risk their lives?

We do not have a temperature or snowfall threshold because we have clients for whom care/service is essential. Without a PSW visit they would endure great harm and potentially hospitalization and or worse. Thus, we try to work with the staff to ensure that essential visits are completed regardless of weather. This can include the coordinators and or supervisors informing clients and families that the PSW will be late, ordering a taxi for the PSW, and other strategies as appropriate.

However, if a PSW does not feel safe or is unwell and is unable to work, they should follow standard procedure of calling into the office and speaking to someone live to inform CofC that they are booking off for the day.

I needed some changes in my schedule for Monday due to doctor’s appointment. I tried to call to call center on Sunday day before. I spent almost 2 hours until someone answered my call. I explained my situation and asked to remove one client from my Monday schedule. The representative did it. Next morning I turned my cell phone on and realized that no changes was made, and I have no chance to go for my appointment. I was really disappointed and had a hard time explaining to my doctor why I missed the appointment. So my biggest concern is if it’s normal to spend 2 hours to reach the office, and why the worker who tried to resolve my issue, did nothing but the problem.

Thank you for sharing your concern. It is unfortunate that there were scheduling issues and we are happy to investigate your particular case. If you wish to do this please contact Supervisor Alicia Cimini at 437-908-0691 so that we can investigate.

Regarding your wait time, we have reviewed the analytics and the average wait time was about 46 seconds to 3 minutes so we are unsure why your call was not answered after 2 hours. However, we are happy to investigate further if you wish to contact the supervisor directly.

Have a question? Submit your questions or feedback anonymously below!

Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers. If your question hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you as soon as we can.