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A M E 1 R'OL'A N Dr-SP ECI1A L ,RE PO0R T SITUATION 7CRITICAL The crisîs in Iong-term care* PSWs heartbeat of 625 nursing homes in Ontario As fr-ont-uine workers in the overburdened Iong-term-care system, PSWs are the irst ro see iEs problems. Given rhe chaos they experi- ence eveiy day, they want better training stan- dards and other professional improvements that dhe Province, so far, is rejecting Second in a four-parn series. By Jillian Follert METROLAND MEDIA GROUP Wben the womnans besd bit the wall wirh a dulI tbud, Cathys blood ran cold. "I was just thinking, 'Oh my Gnd, oh my God, what if I killed ber?"' The 26-year-old was four monchs loto ber first job as a personal support worker at a Toronto long-termi-care home, when she left a frail, wisp of a 90-yesr-old Alzheimers patient wicth a bump on the besd, aftrr srrug- gling to, transfer ber 100-pound body fromt wheelchair to hed. "It's partly my fault, because t probably should have asked for help," Cathy said, cry- ing as she remembers thar day in 2008, and the nurse wbo called ber an idiot. "But, 1 also thînk irs not really my fault, because my school neyer tauglit me how ro do transfers properly' Cathy lan't ber real name. As was the case wrch most of the 30 PSWs intervirwed for Situation Critical, Cathy agrred to, tell ber stor)y on condition chat ber name and the home she works at not he identified. She womres about being fired or hlacklist- ed for speaking on situations thar jeopardize care. SCOTT GARDNER / METROLANO MEDIA GROUP The 30,000 personai support workers employed in the provinceý 625 nursing homes are the most intimate point of contact for the 75,000 Ontarians living in Iong-term care. PSWs are the most motmate point of con- tact for 75,000 elderly Ontaians living in government-supported nursing homes, helping with everything from, feedmng to, toi- leting. The approximately 100,000 PSWs employed in varlous eldercare capacities in Ontario - about 30,000 work in nursing homes - toil at the bottom of the health- care food chain, whether rhey work in long- termn-care facilities or at an individual's home. They're in a sn-uggle for legitimacy that has becomne more public as PSWs push the province harder for higher standards and concrete training requirements. It's a losing batrie. Health Minister Deb Matthews recently scrapped a round of public consultation on potential regulation of PSWs. She toid Metroland shes "very much concerned" about PSW qualifications and the fact chat training courses differ dramsrically in lengrh and content. "Wbat 1Ithink is important, is tbere la a clear understanding of what training la required to, caîl yourself a PSW" Matthews said. "My understanding is that it varies tremendously." PSWs are rhe heartbeat of Ontarios 625 nursing homes, responsible for up to 75 per cent of care. They barbe and dress residents, comb their hair and brush their teech. They lift themn in and out of beds and wheelchairs, and help chose who can still use the roulet. They change diapers, spoon feed residents and reposition them teo prevent bed sores. lncreasingly, PSWs also tackle medically related tasks delegated by other overworked health professionals, including changing nitroglycerine patches and navigating chest drainage, feeding tubes and oxygen therapy PSWs who spoke to Metroland saîd ratios cao he as low as three or four PSWs to 50 or 60 residents. "You're literally jogging from room to, room, you have no cime to talk to, the resi- dents and spend rime with tbem," said April Hill, front rhe Orillia ares, a PSW for about three yesrs. "lis juat go, go, go. Get themn out of bed, put them back in bed. Fred tbem, wasb rhem, dress rbem. Move on ro tbe next one." PSW advocares say it would be easier to navigate rhe growing challenges if PSWs were all well-rrained and had a professional organization ro lean on. "Wr are in desperate nred of regulation and standards. If you get a PSW in there wbo isn't properly trained you pur rhe public ar risk. People get hurt," aid Miranda Ferier, president of PSW Canada, an advocacy group. "PSWs become an extension of rheir residents, tbey're rheir hands and their eyes. They do everyrhing rhey cant do for them- selves, and that takes the night training." PSWs are faced wirh short stafl'mg, a relentîcas work pace, supply shortages and residents whose medical nerds are increas- îngly complex. -see RESOURCES oni page Al 7 ffl- - ýMu