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Personal support workers are becoming a much in demand category across Canada given the emergence of an aging demographic, the need for better services for people with disabilities and for those who have a short term or temporary requirement for support. These sections of the population place an increasing level of strain on the health-care system and the Personal Support Worker (PSW) can play an important role. They can function in provincial publically-funded home-care systems, long-term care homes, community and retirement homes, assisted living centers, hospitals, hospices and private residences.

What Is A PSW?

This is an umbrella term that categorizes a number of professions that provide support to individuals in a home based environment. It includes nursing assistants, personal care aides, home health aides, social workers, caregivers, etc who offer care to patients/clients with broad spectrum needs and health care conditions so that they are able to lead quality lives to the maximum available potential. The patients may have physical disabilities, cognitive/intellectual impairments, chronic and acute illnesses, age-related conditions etc.

Post secondary education is not required for this career and most of the employment facilities themselves provide on-the-job training. When Medicare or other insurance plans are involved, there may be certain federal requirements or regulations. In general, the PSW’s duties depend on the facility and the client. They may include:

• General housekeeping
• Personal Hygiene assistance
• Bedside care
• Delegated health procedures (changing dressings, nasal feeding, oxygen therapy, catheter care, suppositories, etc)
• Medication dispensation
• Transportation
• Transferring client between rooms or from bed to chair etc
• Companionship 

The shortage of nurses and other supplementary health-care professionals is being filled by PSW’s. Some tasks are being shifted to them as they are routine and don’t require specialized qualifications or training.

Issues and Challenges

Currently, the wages provided for PSW’s in Ontario are seeing an upswing. There has been a $4.00 increase recently and this will take the base wage for PSW’s to $16.50 per hour. There are nearly 100,000 PSW’s in Ontario’s health-care system and more than a third of these are occupied in home and community care facilities. However, the sector is largely unregulated and there is no governing body to enforce minimum standards of skills and knowledge required to enter this profession.

However, in 2010, Ontario government enacted the Long Term Care Homes Act. Under this Act, anyone employed as a PSW has to meet and complete the vocational standards established by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Training Colleges or by the Ontario Community Support Association.

Opportunities For Immigrants

This category of employment is slated to see huge opportunities in the years to come. As the most populous province in Canada, Ontario also has the fastest aging seniors group. At present nearly 15% of Ontarians fall under this group. It is estimated that at least 90,000 PSW’s are employed in Ontario.

As experienced, knowledgeable and skilled immigration lawyers, we can help eligible clients to stay informed about the PSW sector. We can help eligible candidates from India and Pakistan to integrate into Canada’s way of life and ensure the prosperity and growth of the whole family.