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
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.