Clients will be at risk: home care worker

Carlene Bellerose has every reason to be worried about her job. But that’s the least of her concerns. For the past 12 years she has been a personal care attendant at Creekside Support Services providing personal care for people with disabilities. CSS was told 10 days ago the provincial government would not be renewing their contract and a new care provider would take charge in July.

“I’m worried some of the clients I work with might end up in the hospital because of the change. And I’m worried they might not survive,” Carlene said in an interview last week. “I think the government is doing the wrong thing. I know the people here, and I know what they need. But I’m afraid if another home care company comes in, they won’t get everything done in the allotted time and there could be trouble.”

Carlene says she is empowered by people with disabilities with the self-directed care concept. “It’s not like being in a nursing home and the nursing staff telling you what to do. I like coming to work every day because I get to work with individuals.”

Carlene says working at Creekside is like a family environment. And it is a safety net for her. “If something ever happened to me and I ended up in a wheelchair I would want to live at Creekside because I know I would get cared for.”

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