Virtual Care Network : Caring for the Caregivers of the Future

Virtual Care Network : Caring for the Caregivers of the Future

It is going to hurt to write this because it’s hard to admit you failed your mother when she needed you most. However, sometimes it is bad memories that make you work harder to help others.

I am one of those daughters that I never thought I would be. I put my mother in a ‘home’. Sure, it claimed to be a shiny and delightful place with a price tag to match, but it was far from HER home. My mother was a fiercely independent farm girl, who wanted no part of this kind of home. However, she went complacently, likely seeing no other options. I also did not look beyond this historical option, and rather, relied on a lengthy list of excuses, under the auspice of ‘protection’ to validate the removal of her autonomy. This move did not protect her, rather it accelerated her emotional, spiritual, and physical decline.

After suffering these declines, it was suggested that my mother’s next move would be to a Long Term Care (LTC) institution. I finally stood up and arranged for personal support workers (PSWs) to give her the extra care she needed where she was. As a seasoned RN who well knows the perils of institutionalized care where older adults can fall prey to neglect, and generic protocols, I finally snapped awake. I began the fight to preserve what independence my mother had left in a room that had, over the years, sadly become the only home she now knew. In this awakening, I realized that if I had only arranged for PSWs to help my her in her own home years earlier, she need not have ever left it. She would never have had to spend her final years in a room of a soulless corporation’s retirement home.

While completing my Masters in Health and Aging at Queen’s University, my moms experience resonated as I learned of older adults ‘aging in place’, aka in their own homes. I also learned the value of a care model that recognizes autonomy that cautioned against allowing ‘protection’ to trump the myriad of other factors that support quality of life.

When one considers that by 2043, the ‘grey tsunami’ will fully touch down and almost one quarter of Ontario’s population will be over the age of 65, finding solutions to facilitate aging in place becomes an imperative. Particularly considering Canadian hospitals already report that 25 percent of beds are not those receiving acute care, but are largely older adults awaiting placement in LTC. Add to that, ever expanding hospital wait times, backlogs, and crisis staff shortages and this imperative becomes more clear… Its time to call all hands on deck to help find solutions.

Are Personal Support Workers the Answer?

One such set of hands could be PSWs. Personal Support Workers assist older adults and people with disabilities in various settings including their homes. They are trained to assist with daily activities of living, meal prep, supervision of medication and light housekeeping to name a few. This workforce is composed primarily of women and reflects significant numbers of new immigrants and people of colour. The exact number of PSWs is difficult to state due to the unregulated nature of the profession. However, their current numbers are thought to be about 100,000 in the province of Ontario alone. This number rivals that of the current number of nurses.

Surveys estimate that PSWs provide up to 80% of all paid home care work in Canada. Despite this contribution, they remain at the very lowest end of the health services pay scale, rarely have benefits, are subject to transient working conditions, have little opportunity for advancement and have no unified voice.

So, after hearing all that… is it possible that these least acknowledged members of our care community are the solution ? Could PSWs be the watchful eyes, a supportive ear, and the helping hands for older adults living in their own homes? Could they reduce the strain on our universal healthcare system, and help people like my mom hold on to their independence longer?

I say absolutely they can, but not without help. Clearly, this is a profession with a long way to go to resolve serious inequities and hurdles that will require significant investment. They also need to feel a sense of belonging, recognition and to be equipped with tools to help them gain specialized knowledge, confidence, and professionalism.

Introducing a support innovation to build community for Home Care PSWs

Therein, enters another set of hands to help get PSWs there that I am very excited to be a part of. It a support innovation called The Virtual Care Network (VCN)

The Virtual Care Network (VCN) is a novel, online resource designed specially for PSWs. It was created by veteran PSW, Danielle Turpin, and Dalhousie professor Dr. Simon Berg who responded to current gaps in home care by forming, not for profit, home care co-operatives. The VCN is intended to build a community for all PSWs. It enables them to connect and solve problems together in a designed chat forum and provides evidence-based resources to support professional and personal growth. The network is also preparing a library of relevant tutorials to build knowledge. Plans are also underway for the VCN to host educational webinars, conferences and offer certificates to further advance the profession. With enough members, the prospects of getting access to benefits like group insurance rates. forming advocacy groups and even their own home care Co-op are also possible. Overall, the VCN is working to help unite and transform this important profession and to give them the tools to help them get there.

Personal Support Workers have been under valued for long enough. Measures like the VCN are constructive ways to help them overcome some of the current obstacles they face. Doing so-could help forge a future where no other daughter has to feel guilt over decisions like the one I made for my mom. Now is the time to prepare for this future; one where the feisty, farm girl sort, can hold onto their independence longer.