Melody Bi is a licensed practical nurse and has been a nurse supervisor for the past three years with the Greater Vancouver Community Services Society, one of the largest community care service providers. The organization cares for 4,000 people annually, including elderly individuals with disabilities and those who require support to retain or regain their health and independence.

When SafeCare BC announced a two-day pilot course on Safe Client Handling, Bi jumped at the opportunity. “The course was very good,” she says. “We were taught some great tools to help us, including point of care assessment and mobility decision support.”

The pilot allows SafeCare BC to test out the course content and make modifications based on the sector’s needs. The Safe Client Handling training is designed for peer coaching, which means participants will take their learnings and share them with others in their organization. “We have geared this training specifically to home and community care,” says Mavis Gibson, SafeCare BC’s Acting Director, Workplace Health and Safety. “And we are confident it will increase the awareness of how injuries can occur and reduce these injuries.”

According to Bi, the challenge is that some home care staff lack the awareness of the importance of reporting safety issues or changes in a client’s mobility, or they are afraid of damaging relationships with their clients.

Bi cited one example where a worker was manually lifting a client rather than having an assessment done to determine if there were options for safe handling equipment for the client’s home. The worker did sustain an injury, and subsequently, an occupational therapist assessed the client and equipment was provided.

“Any injury to our staff is concerning because not only is there an impact on the worker and their family, but it impacts our operations from a staffing perspective and means clients have to get used to different people,” says Bi. “I’m looking forward to taking what I have learned and sharing these strategies with my staff.”