PSWs "are like jewels and should be treated so”
Shirley is 71 years old, and lives alone in a housing 50 plus co-op in London, Ontario where she is involved on the board of the co-op.
She receives home care 4 times a day, with 3 different agencies; VON, Com Care and Cheshire, which is a housing and homecare agency that specializes in spinal cord injuries. She has MS, and until two years ago she was able to pivot and take care of herself. The MS society has provided her with a hoyer lift and a hospital bed. VON gets her up in the morning. Cheshire comes and changes her brief at lunchtime and Com Care changes her brief at 4 pm and then comes back to put her to bed.
She said that she could not function without her workers.
“I dearly want something done about PSWs and their situation. I live in London and there are a lot of railway crossings and that makes travel difficult for the girls and can hold them up. All the girls are tired. Sometimes when I have a worker with me at the house, I’ll get a call for her to see if she can go and do another client. I wouldn’t be able to get up or go to bed without them.
Occasionally, I’ll get a call from one of the agencies to see if they really need to send someone to help me. I tell them yes, it isn’t really a choice. I can’t toilet myself and I can’t get in and out of bed by myself.
When I came back from the hospital and there was a team meeting with my worker, Com Care and the VON supervisor I was told ‘Shirley, you’ll just have to sit in it,’ referring to the fact that they didn’t think I needed anyone to change my brief in the middle of the afternoon. Supposedly the government wants us to live in dignity and comfort and this is how they think.
Recently, I’ve noticed that the girls are more tired than usual. The new hires seem to quit, seem nervous. It is like home care workers are the scullery maids of the health care system. I sent a letter to Smitherman when he was the Minister of Health. I told him they’re the armpit of society, that’s how they’re treated. The truth of it is that they are like jewels and should be treated so.”