There’s no place like home
to build your career as a Personal Support Worker.
What is Home Care
It may seem like a simple question, but it’s a complicated answer. Basically, home care is the care provided to a client in their home, which may be at their house, apartment, a retirement home or anywhere someone calls “home”.
Caring for someone in their home comes with benefits and challenges. Some of the benefits are that you are treating people where they are most comfortable and you can get a true sense of their living environment and lifestyle.
Working in home care does require the ability to adapt to changing environments, both in the home and the community. This can range from weather and traffic to clutter and caregivers. With the support of your fellow personal support workers you will learn how to manage some of these hurdles.
Carefor offers PSW careers in Ottawa to meet your lifestyle and career goals.
Hospital
More specialized work
More clients
Less time with each client
Only working with client
Set work schedule
One location
Longer set shifts
Accrue seniority for summer vacation
HOOPP Pension Plan
Home Care
Wide scope of practice
Fewer clients
More time with each client
Able to build connection with family
More flexible work schedule
Varied locations
More independent work, with support
Summer vacation permitted
HOOPP Pension Plan
Some additional benefits Carefor offers our PSWs
- Mileage and travel time compensation.
- Enriched education and skill building program.
- Team Leader opportunities.
- Proud supporter of the HSCPOA “Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority”.
- Full and Part time position opportunities.
A “Typical Day” as a Home Care PSW
A typical day in the life of a PSW at Carefor can include a variety of tasks centered around providing care and support to individuals who are elderly, living with a chronic disease or a cognitive impairment.
- Morning and Evening care that includes assisting the client with their personal care needs to prepare for the day or retire at night. This includes assistance with toileting or incontinence care. Support with mobility, such as assisting with transfers and use of assistive devices.
- Meal preparation and feeding.
- Cueing for medication.
- Respite that includes, social stimulation, engaging the client in conversation, and participating in activities like reading, playing games and puzzles.
- Assisting with physiotherapist recommended exercises.
- Reporting any client changes such as pain, mobility changes, skin integrity changes, cognitive changes or changes to the client’s social network.
- Documenting the care provided, including any change to a client’s condition or any other important notes for the healthcare team.
Throughout the day, PSWs are expected to remain flexible and adapt to each individual’s needs, often working with family members, nurses, other healthcare professionals to ensure the best care.
Carefor Incentive Partnerships for PSWs
Carefor is pleased to participate in numerous government incentive programs offering grants to new Personal Support Workers as they begin and develop their careers.
Learn more and see if they apply to you.
A PSW’s Story: Strength in the Face of Adversity
22 years. That’s how long Milly Hernandez has been working as a personal support worker. The Carefor employee immigrated to Canada from Guatemala in 1992. When she first moved to Canada, she got by through running a home daycare and working as a minibus driver. Seeing her mom work for Carefor, Milly was interested in a similar opportunity, and she ended up in contact with former Personal Support Services Manager, Nancy Mylrea, who offered her a position as a homemaker. Soon after, Milly had an eye-opening experience with Carefor.
Not long before immigrating to Canada, Milly had lost her father to suicide. She says that his death came after a battle with alcoholism, and that addiction runs in her family. She recounts her intense emotions as she dealt with the grief, saying “I was mad with my dad. Like, how can you kill yourself?” Milly was still coping with these feelings when Carefor offered her a position working in our Inner City partnership with Shepherds of Good Hope and Ottawa Inner City Health.
Because of her time supporting people at Inner City, Milly got firsthand experience interacting with people who face addiction. Supported by training from Carefor that focused on helping people living with addictions, Milly says that over time this new knowledge helped her contextualize her father’s actions and cope with the grief of losing him. “I started thinking, you know what? I shouldn’t blame him,” she says, “now I know this is a disease.”
This wasn’t the only obstacle Milly struggled with, though. While working with Carefor she was also dealing with an abusive relationship. She said that she was beginning to fear for her children’s wellbeing, and knew she needed to get help. She went back to Nancy Mylrea asking for advice on the situation. Nancy told Milly to take some time off and helped her find resources. “She gave me some pamphlets,” recounts Milly, “and I ended up going to the shelter because I needed help.” After getting back on her feet, Milly was able to return to work, something that’s very important to her.
You can see the passion Milly has for her work as a PSW. She speaks about it with tremendous enthusiasm, but you get the sense that’s just who she is. Now, Milly has been working with Carefor as a PSW for 22 years. She currently works with seniors, stating that what’s important to her is spreading joy to people and ensuring that they keep their dignity as they age. This is what inspired her to lead Zumba classes for seniors, looking for fun ways to help seniors keep their bodies and minds healthy.
Milly is well known for spreading joy among her clients, who take notice of the colourful outfits she wears to work. Even her bright shoes are part of Milly’s goal to bring happiness to everyone she works with. Milly says she’s grateful to Carefor for helping her pursue this goal: “[Carefor] really gives people the ability to change their life if they want. And if they have a problem… [Carefor] helps them with the transition.”
If you are interested in getting a job with Carefor, look at our Careers page. To learn more about our Personal Support Services, visit our In-Home Care page.
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