Province adding 3M hours of PSW care

Over the next three years, Ontario will help 90,000 more seniors get the care they need to live comfortably in their own homes by adding three million more hours of personal support worker (PSW) care, according to a press release.

PSWs assist people with personal hygiene, light housework and help with delegated health procedures such as changing dressings. Having the support of PSWs enables seniors, people with physical disabilities and those with complex needs to live independently at home, rather than in a hospital or long-term care home.

Helping seniors stay at home longer frees up hospital beds for those who need acute care, which reduces pressure on emergency rooms and saves money, the province stated in the press release.

"Health care is an area that is ripe for reform, and our government is working hard to make changes that put the patient first and reduce strain on our hospitals and long-term care homes,” Premier Dalton McGuinty said in the press release. “Not only does the care provided by personal support workers help seniors get the help they need, where they want it, it has the added benefit of costing less money."
 

Quick Facts:

- This investment is part of the government's 2012 Budget commitment to increase funding for community and home-care services by an average of four per cent over the next three years.
- There are about 26,000 PSWs in Ontario providing home-care services.
- Personal Support Worker Day is May 16 and recognizes the contributions of PSWs to the province's health-care system.

Posted by Arron Pickard