Northern Ont. woman living with ALS says PSW shortage is causing her life to 'deteriorate'
A West Nipissing woman living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is speaking out about how the shortage of personal support workers is impacted her life.
Jenny Begin, who lives in Verner, said her life deteriorates when personal support workers (PSW) don’t show up to her home to assist with her care.
"I’m just a small voice and I’m sure in our community there are a lot of people going through the same thing," said Begin.
She has been living with ALS for eight years. Since starting home care, two PSWs would visit her for basic personal care on a consistent basis. One PSW arrives in the morning for an hour of care and another arrives in the afternoon for three hours of care.
"When you’re not capable of doing your own thing and you’re depending on everybody to help you through the day, it’s tough," said Begin.
Her sister, Cindy Brouillette, said a few weeks ago, on two of the five days Begin receives care, no PSWs showed up. The left Begin without a backup plan to help her eat and go to the bathroom.
"She can’t wait for her husband to come home or for me to come home after work," said Brouillette. "She’s totally dependent."
When no one showed up, Begin said her anxiety kicked in and severely impacted her current condition both physically and mentally.
Her main care provider is ParaMed Home Health Care Services.
In a statement issued to CTV News, the organization writes it’s not immune to the staffing shortage created by the COVID-19 pandemic and that it plans to address the situation as best as it can.
"We are working to address the staffing capacity challenges facing our teams as soon as is possible so that we can better ensure every client receives the care they expect, when they expect it," the company said.
"We are committed to upholding our responsibility to meeting the care needs of our patients and clients, while remaining vigilant against the virus."
ParaMed adds it is investing in training programs across the province in partnership with post-secondary schools to speed up workforce development for clients.
Begin said the situation is frustrating because she knows ParaMed is doing "everything they can" to get her adequate care.
"Recruiting people is hard to do when they are not being paid the proper wage that they should deserve," said Brouillette.
Begin has been a client of ParaMed for over four years. She says hasn’t faced this issue before the pandemic began. While at the same time advocating for more PSWs, the sisters want them to be paid more for what they do.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.