Inside the Circle – September 23, 2026

Happy Retirement, Wardat Mohamed!

Thank you, Wardat, for your dedication, kindness, and compassionate care as a PSW. Your support has made a positive difference in the lives of many clients, families, and colleagues.

We wish you good health, happiness, and all the best in this exciting new chapter. Thank you for everything you have done. You will be greatly missed!

Congratulations on your retirement!

Subway Line 1 Early Nightly Closures

• When: September 21-25
• Details: Line 1 will close early each night starting at 11:59 p.m. between St. Clair and College stations for maintenance work. Shuttle buses will operate during the closures.

Subway Line 1 – Weekend Closure

• When: September 26-27
• Details: St. Clair West to Sheppard West stations will be fully closed. Shuttle buses will run.

CIBC Run for the Cure

• When: October 4
• Details: Queen’s Park Crescent (East & West): Fully closed between College St. and Bloor St. W. University Avenue: Southbound/ Northbound lane reductions and closures from College St. down toward Dundas St. W./Armoury St. Hoskin Ave. & Wellesley St. W.: Restricted access between St. George St. and Queen’s Park.

If you are away from work due to illness or injury for four (4) or more days in a row, you must provide a medical note.

The medical note must confirm:

• You are under the care of a healthcare provider
• You are unable to work
• Your expected return-to-work date

Submit your medical note by:

• Email: HRDept@circleofcare.com
• Fax: 416-635-1692

If you are calling in sick, please call 416-635-2860 and speak to someone directly to report your absence.

To protect you, our clients, and their pets, all pets must be secured before and during client visits.

Before starting a visit, ask the client or caregiver to:

• Place pets in a separate room with the door closed, or
• Secure pets in a crate for the duration of the visit

Important Reminders

• You are not required to handle, move, or restrain pets.
• If a pet is not secured, you have the right to refuse entry.
• Notify your supervisor immediately if pets are not secured.
• Report any pet bites, scratches, or aggressive behaviour using the incident reporting process.

Review the Pet Policy and Incident & Hazard Reporting & Investigation Policy.

When working alone in the community, take a few simple steps to help keep yourself safe.

Before your visit: 

• Review client information and any known risks.
• Make sure someone knows your schedule.
• Check that your vehicle, phone, and emergency supplies are ready.

During your visit:

• Stay aware of your surroundings.
• Keep your phone accessible and charged.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel unsafe, leave and contact your supervisor.

After your visit:

• Let your supervisor or designated contact know you have completed the visit safely.
• Report any incidents, near misses, or safety concerns.

Thank you to everyone who completed the May 2026 Hand Hygiene Survey. Your feedback is helping us strengthen hand hygiene practices and keep everyone safe.

What we are doing to improve hand hygiene: 

• Looking at ways to improve access to gloves and hand sanitizer for PSWs.
• Sharing more hand hygiene and glove-use tips throughout the year.
• Increasing reminders during the upcoming flu season.

Remember to clean your hands before and after clients and follow glove-use best practices.

Heart & Stroke offers a free, private online Risk Screen tool for women that helps you understand your personal risk for heart disease and stroke.

• Takes 5-10 minutes to complete
• Based on your health history and life stage
• Provides a personalized risk profile
• Includes information about your risk factors and possible next steps

We are looking for staff who are interested in joining the Diversity & Inclusion Committee. The committee brings together employees from across the organization to:

• Share different perspectives and experiences
• Provide their thoughts on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs
• Look for opportunities for improvement
• Help create a more inclusive and welcoming workplace

We would especially like to have more frontline staff voices represented on the committee to ensure a wide range of experiences and perspectives are included in discussions.

More information about the committee: 

• Meetings are held online
• The committee meets twice a year

Interested in joining or learning more? Email: HRDept@circleofcare.com

Just a reminder that our GoodLife Fitness Corporate Membership is still available! You can enjoy a 25% discount on any GoodLife Fitness membership with $0 enrollment fee. You can also add 2 family members to your plan!

When you are ready to register, make sure you have your employee ID. Your employee ID number (not your voicemail or badge number) can be found in your Dayforce profile or at the top of your paystub. If you have any questions or need help, please reach out to our HR team HRDept@circleofcare.com for help.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Rewards & Contests for GoodLife Fitness Members

As healthcare workers, you spend your days caring for others, but it’s just as important to take care of yourself. Burnout is a common challenge in healthcare. This short video from Psych2Go shares tips to help you recognize the signs of burnout and protect your well-being.

Please welcome the following new PSWs to Circle of Care: 

• Stacy-Ann Walker
• Attia Thompson

Each week, we’re proud to recognize the PSWs who are celebrating their work anniversaries. Every anniversary—no matter the number of years—represents the dedication, compassion, and commitment you bring to supporting our clients and community. Thank you for the important role you play at Circle of Care. This week’s list includes PSWs celebrating work anniversaries between September 20-26. 

Congratulations to the following staff on their years of service with Circle of Care:

September 23

• 14 Years: Phoebelyn Neri

September 25

• 1 Year: Anusha Yeruva, Elizabeth Ajayi, Glena Morauda, Mae Ann Tamayo, Michelle Ciego,  Miracle Adebajo, Revelation Javier, Ruby Atiga, Rukinder Kaur, Sheila Mae Delos Santos, Yaa Konadu Agyemang
• 3 Years: Bibi Alaheem, Kevin Rostum Valdepenas, Liezel Perjes, Muthukumar Thangaraj, Sharib Joseph, Ziya Patel

September 26

• 2 Years: Eliza Salganik, Gilyana Bogaeva, Helen Mengesha, Jisna George, Nellya Ochirova, Rog-Jazhia St.Martin-Osborne, Yolanda Aguila, Zhanna Vakulska, Zinaida Budnychenko
• 4 Years: Bibi Ally, Maria Fernandez, Maribeth Mojica, Princess Dela Cruz

Individuals celebrating milestone anniversaries (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 years) will receive a one-time cash award to their pay cheque at the end of the quarter. Payment amount will depend on service length.

High Five for PSW Praga Punniyalingam

Praga is dependable, compassionate, and always willing to help. She consistently steps in when support is needed and brings a positive attitude to every shift. Her kindness, patience, and genuine care make a meaningful difference in the lives of the clients she supports. Thank you, Praga, for your dedication and outstanding commitment. – Staff Member

High Five for PSW Sita Tamang

Sita is professional, caring, and dedicated. Her kindness and support make a real difference, and we appreciate the exceptional care she provides. – Client Family Member

High Five for PSW Louvi Ilano

Louvi provides outstanding care and support. She is “the best of the best” and I am very happy with the care she receives. – Client

High Five for PSW Gelareh Daneshmand

Gelareh is compassionate and supportive. I greatly appreciate the care and comfort she provides during difficult situations. – Client

High Five for PSW Annabelle Oliva and Shiela Aluyen

Annabelle and Shiela bring kindness and compassion to every visit. I am very grateful for their support, and I call them “my angels.” – Client

High Five for PSW Novalyn Arellano

Novalyn provides caring and attentive support. Her client’s daughter praised her compassionate approach and the excellent care she provides.

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.

How do I know I qualify for vacation?

Please see the following page for information about the vacation request process as well as your vacation entitlements.

You keep telling us to call our coordinator regarding schedules or other issues, but we always get their voicemail, and they never call us back! The call centre people answer our calls, but they are very rude and act like they know everything. This has been going on for years now!

Thank you for your feedback. We will share your feedback with the managers who oversee the Service Coordination team. If you are continuously having problems reaching your Service Coordinator and they are not responding to you, even when you leave voicemails, you can reach out to one of the Supervisors who oversee the Service Coordinators: please contact either Tariq Shafi (extension 256) or Zarana Kansiyawala (extension 232).

If you have a concern about the call centre staff, you can provide that information to your CSS for follow-up or request to speak with the manager to discuss your concerns directly.

I see Circle of Care hiring new PSWs every other month, but I’m not getting enough hours to survive in this expensive city.

Circle of Care covers a very large area, and our new employees work in different areas of Toronto, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, Thornhill, Richmond Hill and more. Our recruitment team focuses on hiring PSWs for areas that have fewer staff and more clients, so that we can provide these clients with regular visits, and so that other PSWs don’t have to travel so far from client to client. So this is one reason why we are hiring new staff.

One of the other reasons is that the number of PSWs available to work on any given day is not constantly growing as we hire new staff – employees can take time off for holidays, medical leave, maternity leave, other leaves of absence, etc. We need to be able to replace these visits while staff are off, and that’s not always going to be possible without hiring new staff.
If you are not receiving enough hours and have already spoken with your coordinator, you should escalate this so an investigation can be done to see if there are hours available in a nearby caseload. You can connect with one of the Service Coordination Supervisors – Zarana Kansiyawala (ext.232) or Tariq Shafi (ext. 256).

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.

If you experience violence, harassment, discrimination, or hate at work or during working hours, please report it to your Supervisor or Human Resources.

If you would prefer to remain anonymous, you can submit a report using the Anonymous Incident Reporting Form by clicking the button below.

You may choose to include your name to help with the investigation, but it is not required. Anonymous reports will still be reviewed and investigated.