Attendant Outreach - NEW

"The consistency and professionalism by both PSW's (that work with me) have made my mornings so easy. Thank you for scheduling them for me." - PACE Outreach Client

Attendant Outreach services are provided on a pre-booked basis. These services are provided between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to midnight, seven-days a week and can be offered in the individual’s home, school or workplace.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible applicants must:

  • Be insured under the health Insurance Act of Ontario (i.e. possess a valid Ontario Health Card)
  • Be at least 16 years of age or older
  • Have a permanent physical disability and require physical assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, transferring and toileting. We provide services to individuals with a variety of disabilities including, but, not limited to multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and Huntington disease.
  • Be able to direct their own services. This means communicating and training the staff about what you want done, when you want it done and how. Be able to have any medical/professional needs met in the community

How to Receive Services

PACE is one of nine service providers that work together to assess applicants applying for attendant outreach personal support services who live in the city of Toronto. Interested individuals need to complete and submit the Attendant Service application. The completed application is sent directly to the Attendant Service Application Centre (ASAC) at the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) for processing. The ASAC manages the application process and the waiting list on behalf of the five participating agencies. Should you require assistance with the application - visit the ASAC Application guide for more information.

Once the assessment process has been completed, eligible applicants are placed on a waiting list until a service provider with available service hours can meet their service requirements. The assessment process takes approximately 1.5 hours. Hours or service are assigned on the basis of need, as determined by the outcome of the assessment.

Approved applicants are eligible to receive up to 21 hours of personal support/week maximum unless PACE approval has been given.  The number of hours of service provided is determined through the assessment.

Applicants must require assistance with activities of daily living in order to be considered eligible for attendant outreach services, (i.e. bathing, meal preparation), and applicants who require homemaking assistance only are not eligible to receive attendant outreach services.

How the Waitlist for Services is Prioritized

Priority is currently being given to applicants who:

  • are in, attempting to leave, or have left an abusive situation;
  • are being discharged from a hospital or another health service facility, or are at risk of being admitted to a facility if the applicant does not have attendant outreach services;
  • have a failing or absent personal support system  (e.g. living alone or with dependent children / aging parent requires attendant outreach services to attend school or to maintain employment);
  • are in a situation where their safety is at risk due to lack of services.

Services Provided

Personal Assistance General Assistance Wellness Assistance
lifts/ transfers meal prep and clean up  respiration - ventilator, bi-pap
bowl / bladder light housekeeping physical assistance with taking medicine
dressing / undressing laundry range of motion exercises
skin care - bed turns / general and non-sterile dressings / skin checks communication support (opening mail, telephone assistance)  
general hygiene - bath / shower; grooming / nail care/ peri care / menstrual care routine maintenance of assistive devices, personal vehicle, alternative and augmentative equipment  
sexual assistance nurturing assistance  
  pet and service animal assistance  
  escorts  

 

AO Client and Staff Stories

Meet Anne (Independent Living Assistant), Attendant Outreach Program Anne has been a member of the PACE Attendant Outreach team for over 23 years. She reveals that she is proud to say that “she still loves working here”. Anne shares, “I like the appreciation from the clients’ receiving services. I really enjoy helping people.” Anne was born and raised in Grenada and came to Canada in 1990. She comes from a large family of 12 children. Today her siblings are spread across the United States, Canada and Barbados. When Anne first arrived in Toronto she liked the opportunities that were available to her. She went to school for a nanny program. Anne worked full-time and continued to take classes in the evening at Bathurst Heights including the Personal Support Worker program.

Her favourite memory working at PACE Anne recalls, “I have quite a few moments but, if I must pick one it would be the time I had a client- Franca, who was Italian. Franca was receiving Meals on Wheels and she didn’t like the food. (It was because she was used to homemade Italian dishes.) I told Franca that she could teach me how to make some dishes and she did. Once Franca had her Italian dishes again, she said to me, “I feel alive again – I’m not useless.” Franca was back in control of what she had to eat and was so happy. Even today I use some of her cooking tips.” Why do you work at PACE?

What do you like most about working for PACE? “Program Management responds and is very willing to talk, listen to you and understand. Even when my daughter was going to school, they understood work life balance and made you feel at home. Another thing I really like is that you continue learning. Every year – you attend a workshop on something to help you to able to do the job better. I have friends that work with other organizations and they don’t have this.”

What lessons has your work life at PACE taught you? Anne reflects and then shares,

• “To be grateful and not judge people;

• Listen to everyone’s story first. Don’t judge them;

• Life is short and I should always be grateful;

• I’m not different and/or better;

• Treat people with dignity – treat them for who they are and how I would want to be treated

• Love and don’t judge – everybody has a story.”

 

Meet Taylor

Taylor is an entrepreneur and her successful business Cup of Té impressed Oprah enough to land a spot on Oprah’s “Favourite Things” list in 2020. Taylor shares, “Life is good. I have been working hard over the last four years. Everything goes back into the business. I’m really proud of the journey the business has been on.” She has a new venture that has just opened at Dufferin and Lawrence where she now has a brick-and-mortar location.

Taylor doesn’t have a lot of free time given her business and now that she has started accessbytay where she shares her experiences on social media with accessibility in the city. This venture came out of a conversation with a friend. Her friend got engaged and was planning her wedding and Taylor was going to be a bridesmaid. Taylor recalls, “My friend kept going to wedding locations and seeing that they would say they were accessible but they weren’t.” Taylor’s friend suggested that they should, when world opens back up from lock down, we should document their accessibility reviews of restaurants, etc. Taylor shares, “I haven’t had a good work/life balance. My reviews venture is win/win for everyone. I help other people by really documenting if the restaurant was accessible or not. I learned that I could help other people while I was out. Now providing accessibility reviews forces me to get out. This is part of my new worklife balance and is going very well. It helps me find a better balance and spend time with my friends.”

Taylor had her accident when she was 14 which left her paralyzed from the neck down. She was in rehab for 19 months and in March 2010, moved back home with the necessary support services in place and her mom helps a lot. Taylor has received support services from PACE through the Attendant Outreach program for more than 10+ years.

Taylor shares, “Having good care is imperative to your healing and daily mental wellbeing. The people I’m working (PSWs) with have been with me for a very, very long time – some people that is many years and I’m extremely happy with that. There are times when someone came, and it wasn’t a good fit. When we get a good one – we keep them. They are almost like family at this point. You work very intimately and closely with people. They become a part of the fabric or an extension of yourself almost.”

“I have a PSW which I adore, Laurie who has been with me since my first year of university. She used to go with me to school. We were laughing the other day as it’s so crazy that I’m going be 29 soon. So much of my life has changed. When I was in university, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Laurie has seen me through university, transitioning to figuring out what I’m going to do – starting a business and having a relationship. She’s been with me throughout it all and in the whole time she has taken maybe 5 personal days outside of regular vacation – she is very reliable.”

“More recently I have a PSW named Yonette. She goes above and beyond all the time. Literally all the time! I don’t know what God sent you to me – I’m so grateful. In the span of a year – we have built a very close relationship.” Taylor describes receiving services from PACE as, “PACE is the like the friend that you don’t always need but, you’re really, really blessed to have. You’re grateful that they are there. PACE is a friend that you may not talk to all the time but, if you need them – they are always there.”

 

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