Country Terrace managers donning scrubs on weekends to help front-line staff

Extra help is enhancing quality of life for residents while alleviating PSWs’ workload

Country Terrace managers have been donning scrubs and helping front-line team members on the floor on weekends for the past five months in an effort to enhance resident care and reduce an often heavy work for front-line staff, especially personal support workers (PSWs).

Administrator Karen Dann says Country Terrace is often short-staffed on weekends, so in November it was decided weekend on-call managers would help ease the heavy workload for front-line team members, which in turn results in enhanced resident care.

Every weekend there is an on-call manager that comes in on a rotating basis. Managers on weekends are not doing their normal administrative work, but rather assisting PSWs and registered staff.

“The majority of the time we are on the floor portering residents, helping with feeding and helping in the dining rooms,” Karen tells The OMNIway.

“We will help get residents washed and dressed in the morning, and we make sure staff members are taking their breaks – that’s what we’re here for.”

Karen says the extra hands on Saturdays and Sundays have been a major value-add, and staff members have been relaying positive comments.

“Front-line staff have been loving it; we have had a lot of positive feedback from them, they are very appreciative of the time managers have been spending on the floor,” Karen says.

“This has made a big difference for the front-line staff and for the residents’ care.”

The long-term care sector has been facing staffing shortages in recent years. In fact, the Ontario Long Term Care Association’s annual Better Seniors’ Care letter-writing campaign this year was largely focused on raising awareness of the need for more front-line staff in long-term care homes.

Country Terrace is feeling the strain of the provincewide staffing shortage, but Karen says managers helping the front lines on weekends is alleviating at least some of that pressure at the Komoka long-term care home.

“(Managers) coming in here on weekends does help a bit; it’s not the answer to the problem, but it is helping (front-line staff) as much as we can,” Karen says.

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