New providers take over on-site seniors services

YorkRegion.com
April 2, 2014
By Sean Pearce

Despite calls from the Canadian Union of Public Employees to change course, York Region’s Alternative Community Living program came to an end this week.

Scores of personal support workers with the region’s ACL program said their goodbyes Monday to clients many have assisted for 20 years. Support workers employed by Community and Home Assistance to Seniors and CareFirst took over the former regional ACL clients Tuesday, providing a mixture of scheduled visits, for help with light housekeeping and other chores, and unscheduled visits for more urgent matters such as help up from falls and toileting.

After a lengthy fight involving the union and Newmarket-Aurora MPP Frank Klees, ACL clients — all of whom are senior citizens or people with disabilities — learned last week that the program would be replaced by CHATS and CareFirst, which would continue on-site, 24/7 care for those already receiving it.

Originally, the plan had been for the new providers to service the former assisted-living clients through a “hub-and-spoke” model where care could be up to 15 minutes.

But hours after the change took effect, however, at least one person took to social media with a critical comment about CHATS’ service. A Twitter user claimed there was no service Tuesday from anyone over at the Armitage Gardens residence in Newmarket.

CHATS CEO Christina Bisanz was quick to defend the transition, saying she’s pleased with how her organization’s staff members are taking to their new roles. She hasn’t heard of any issues at any of the residences, but suspects some of the scheduled visits may take a little longer than normal as everyone gets to know one another.

“As with any time involving new staff and new procedures, there are going to be some hiccups along the way,” she said. “This is new and it may take some clients a little while to get used to the new people.”

It will likely take a few weeks before everyone is settled and any issues that arise are addressed, Ms Bisanz said. CHATS is committed to ensuring that happens, she said, adding she hopes all of the ACL clients take a bit more comfort in knowing the PSWs will now be on-site, around-the-clock at all of the sites that previously had that service.

And while he’s pleased and relieved residents receiving on-site, 24/7 care will continue to get it, CUPE Local 905 president Doug Sheppard said he and many clients and their families question why the province decided to fix something that wasn’t broken. Many residents simply don’t understand the reasoning behind why the caregivers they know and love are being replaced after 20 years, he said.

“Instead of continuous care and continuity of service by workers who’ve been with the residents for years, the workers are being replaced by an agency that was contracted to provide mobile care,” Mr. Sheppard said. “These important decisions that impact residents and workers’ lives are being made bureaucratically and randomly, without properly thinking of how this would impact the very people that we are supposed to take care of.”

A number of support workers gathered for a retirement party Monday at the Pickle Barrel in Newmarket. Kathy Jetten, who worked as a casual PSW at Newmarket’s Heritage East for 14 years, said the purpose behind the get-together was to celebrate all of the years spent with some great people and to wish those well as some of the now-displaced workers have been with the region for 30 years or so.

“It wasn’t supposed to be a sad, angry or angst-filled event,” she said. “We all loved our jobs.”