Personal support workers are the backbone of health care but the bottom of the power structure
Personal support workers are the backbone of health care but the bottom of the power structure
By Bharati Sethi
Associate Professor, Western University
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the significant contribution personal support workers (PSWs) make to Canada’s health-care system. As the backbone of much of the daily health work, they assist people with disability, health and age-related needs in diverse health-care sectors and in people’s homes. It seems like every second, someone requires a PSW for their care.
When I was a student, I worked as a home care worker for the Red Cross. I was often the only social contact my clients received for an entire month. My personal and professional experiences as a racialized, immigrant woman fuel my academic research.
For my research, I used a method called photovoice in which participants use cameras to record and reflect upon their lived experiences. I gave immigrant women cameras to record their resettlement experiences in Grand Erie, Ontario.
Through their photographs, the PSWs in the study shared their work experiences.
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