A lifeline for seniors through hard times
A world without Heather is not the kind of world Lois could imagine living in — especially in today’s time. Heather is Lois’s Personal Support Worker (PSW) and has been helping Lois a few days a week for the last seven years. Life without Heather would mean Lois would have to wake up with heightened anxiety and isolation. It would mean fearing days of not being able to get out of bed in the morning, falling and perhaps ending up in the hospital.
While her husband, Ed, tries his best to attend to her needs, at the age of 88 and with his own frail health, he desperately needs Heather’s help.
There aren’t many people who understand the value of home care like Lois FrazierBlakeney. When she suffered a fall that left her paralyzed more than 30 years ago, she relied on Carefor’s services (formerly known as the Victorian Order of Nurses) to keep her safe and healthy. Now 85 years old, and after spending five years in a nursing home, she can attest that there is no better place to receive high-quality care than in the comfort and safety of her own home.
“I spent 28 years in a wheelchair and received all kinds of support. Now I’m able to move around with my walker … If it wasn’t for PSWs like Heather, I wouldn’t be here today,” says Lois.
Lois cannot stress enough how important Heather’s visits have been during the pandemic, easing that heightened sense of social isolation: “It’s important for us seniors to be safe at home.
We aren’t leaving our space and seeing others. The only outside relationship we have is with Carefor staff.”
Undoubtedly, the relationship between a PSW and his or her longtime client becomes quite special. Heather always helps Lois feel a sense of safety and comfort, even during the most difficult of times. “They see you at your very worst and your very best — they really become your family,” Lois says.
PSWs are the pillars of community health care. In the last year, Carefor PSWs have made more than 700,000 home visits. They help people who need assistance due to illness, aging or increasing dependencies. Their services include bathing assistance, exercise, companionship, feeding assistance, grooming, light housekeeping and more. This level of personal care helps to reduce caregiver burnout and keep clients safe and healthy in their homes, also giving many of them the dignity they deserve.
“They are the hands that help you do things you can’t do,” Lois says. “PSWs like Heather have kept me sane. They are a key force in our community.”
And during the pandemic, being that support system has never been more important. “Home is where people want to grow old, and so we are doing everything we can to keep them safe and healthy in their own homes,” says Lois. A recent Home Care Ontario study found over 95 per cent of seniors in Ontario believe staying home is the safest environment to live in during the pandemic, and over 93 per cent of seniors in Ontario would choose to stay in their homes with home care services instead of moving to a long-term care facility.
“The world has changed so much, and the needs f or home care are also changing,” says Lois. “Many years ago, most seniors were looked after by their family. Nowadays, it takes two people working to make ends meet, which means there isn’t anybody to keep an eye on an older person. So, if seniors can’t stay in their own home to receive the help to keep them out of the nursing homes, who would do it if it wasn’t for a personal support worker?”
If COVID-19 has proven one thing, it’s that home care is needed more than ever. It’s also one of the cheapest and safest ways to deliver and receive care, keeping our l oved ones out of hospitals and longterm care homes. The same Home Care Ontario study showed the cost of a hospital bed is $842 per day, a long-term care bed is $162, while home care only costs taxpayers $42 per day.
Lois c an’ t i magine a world without Carefor, and for good reason, because a world with Carefor means peace of mind. It means the seniors of today — and tomorrow — are living in a community that cares for them. “Seniors took care of you when you were young, now seniors are in a position that need your help,” Lois says.
To find out more about Carefor’s services and how you can help Ottawa’s seniors stay safe at home, visit