Shantel inspires pride among Personal Support Workers at Countryside

Driven by her love for residents and informed by decades of experience in long-term care, Shantel is leading an effort to inspire pride and improve care among Extendicare Countryside’s team of Personal Support Workers (PSWs).

Shantel has seen a lot of change in her 33-year career as a PSW in Sudbury, Ont., but few changes have been as challenging as settling into the newly built larger home Extendicare Countryside, that replaced its much older, outdated predecessor, Extendicare Falconbridge.

As part of the transition, many new care professionals have joined the home’s team. “About half of our PSWs are new to the team,” Shantel explains. To ensure everyone is working together, “We’re going back to basics.”

Those basics start with a team of 13 outstanding PSWs, covering all shifts, who act as peer-to-peer role models to onboard new PSWs and reinforce expectations for existing team members. The team quickly recognized a few areas that needed more focus: hand hygiene, nail care, keeping closets tidy, and proper bed-making techniques – for a start.

All of this has been enabled by a reinvigorated PSW Practice Meeting, co-chaired by Shantel and Countryside’s interim Director of Care, Jennifer. A big part of those meetings is listening to feedback from PSWs and making changes that impact both team member experience and resident care.

Based on feedback, the home has relocated specialized equipment to make it easier for PSWs to access. They have also replaced washcloths with quick-access dry wipes that bring dignity and efficiency to resident hygiene. The team’s next step is to introduce a PSW-specific orientation program tailored to Countryside.

“Little changes can make the biggest impact,” says Shantel. “Our PSWs are saying these efforts make them feel heard. . It’s going to take time for change to stick. We all have to work together, respect each other, and stay focused on the same goal: providing exceptional resident care – or, as we say at Countryside, PERC.”

As we mark PSW Day in Ontario on May 19, we extend our deepest gratitude to the many dedicated PSWs serving seniors across the province. Your care truly helps people to live better.