The personal support worker (PSW) profession faces an ever-increasing demand. The target is the elderly, whose mobility constitutes an obstacle to accomplishing their daily tasks. It is for this reason that the use of a PSW is so urgent and important.

In practice, we find that caring for the elderly involves much more difficult tasks. You can become a qualified PSW Toronto by signing up for a personal support worker course at ABM College. This article will help you know the different things that come with being a personal support worker.

The primary mission of a personal support worker

To better understand the professional limits of a PSW, it is always good to remember the main mission. This mission consists of contacting individuals to ensure that their residence is maintained. The beneficiaries of this aid present various profiles. They may be sick, disabled, or injured people.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that most older people are the target audience for personal support workers. In general, the role of a PSW is to help them with their daily material tasks. In practice, personal support workers also have a moral and social role. To use their services, you can contact an association, a local authority, or a company specializing in the field.

The activities of this life assistant are distributed as follows:

  • Daily activities: these include routine cleaning (household chores for the upkeep of the accommodation), laundry, shopping, meal preparation, etc. In reality, a personal support worker is a great help in the daily tasks of his client: travel and mobilization assistance, toilet assistance, dressing, undressing, ironing…
  • Social activities: the function of home help is to support the people for whom they are responsible in their social and relational activities.

In performing his duties, relational, psychological, and psycho-emotional support constitutes an essential component of his activity.

The risks of the personal support worker profession

The work of a PSW requires an infallible physical condition and a steely mind. If you want to embrace this profession, it is important to be aware of the dangers involved in this profession. We count accidents at work. Although the PSW is not authorized to carry out heavy household tasks, accidents at work can occur. Domestic accidents such as thermal or chemical burns, falls, and traffic accidents are the most frequent.

Then, physical risks such as periarticular diseases, risks related to handling chemicals or household appliances, and infectious or psychosocial risks (fatigue, mental suffering, depression, etc.) are the hazards of this work. Finally, the poor organization of work and the distance traveled during travel sometimes create stressful situations and lead to a loss of time. These difficulties can be aggravated by a large and variable workload and working on weekends and holidays.

It is important to define the framework for personal support work activities. Determining your professional boundaries will allow you to discern things first.

By setting professional boundaries, you provide quality service. This precautionary measure also makes it possible to define the capacities and constraints of the two parties. No longer will you have to worry about not doing enough and asking too much.