CKNW Tackles Be Care Aware on The Air
Just last week SafeCare BC held a public engagement contest in Robson Square titled, “The Risk Factor“. The challenge, part of the Be Care Aware campaign, featured a pseudo police officer, construction worker, and care aide while pedestrians attempted to determine which profession is most at risk of getting injured on the job, The event aimed to bring awareness to the high rates of injuries in the continuing care sector, as well as the many Occupational Health and Safety(OHS) solutions and resources SafeCare BC has to offer.
Stemming from the Be Care Aware campaign, CKNW talk show host Jon McComb and reporter Jessica Gares reached out to SafeCare BC to learn more about injuries rates within the sector. Gares checked out the front lines by spending some time at Haro Park Centre located in downtown Vancouver.
“For caregivers, one of the main issues is the elder’s safety but then also for your safety, so that you don’t injure your back…” says Haro Park Care Aide, Craig Peterson. “Because if you injure yourself, then that impacts on your livelihood.”
“It’s a very active occupation, there is no question,” says Haro Park Care Aide, Nick Parrotta. “So as a result, when one is on their feet all day moving, lifting and transferring, sometimes we can misjudge our ability to handle a certain work routine and when we do that it can result in injury.”
To catch the full segment, visit here.
First SafeCare BC Workshop A Sell Out Success
Earlier this week, SafeCare BC launched its first dementia care training workshop titled, Creating Connections: Working with Individuals with Dementia. Nearly 80 service-providers attended the sold-out workshop which was hosted in partnership with the Alzheimer Society of BC. The inaugural workshop was the first installment in a series of training workshops taking place this year. Well known dementia expert, Jan Robson led the full day workshop focused on caring for elders with the disease. During the session, attendees received tools for better understanding Alzheimer disease and other dementias, key tips for communication, as well as creative insight for dealing with common dementia-related behaviours.
About Jan Robson
Workshop leader, Jan Robson, was the Coordinator for the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s province-wide Dementia Helpline from February 2006 until August 2012, facilitating a support group for people with early-onset dementia and one for caregivers, as well as delivering workshops to various community groups. In her current role as Provincial Coordinator of Programs and Services, Robson is working on a variety of program development initiatives. Her background is in counselling and community corrections.
Reserve Your Seat For The Next Workshop
With the first sold-out and successful workshop in the books, SafeCare BC will be hosting its second workshop in Kelowna on October 14th, 2014. Seats are filling up fast, so don’t wait, reserve now!
SafeCare BC will also be joining a panel of industry occupational health and safety experts at the BC Care Providers Association’s Care to Chat speaker series. The topic of the panel discussion is “Creating a Culture of Safety in BC’s Continuing Care Sector: Can Anything Be Done To Reduce The Highest Injury Claim Rates in BC?” For more information, please click here.
For more information About SafeCare BC, visit here.
