Neglect describes the mistreatment of an individual when a parent or caregiver fails to meet their basic needs. Those who are most at risk of neglect are children and the elderly, as these age groups often require help from others to take care of themselves. When it comes to elder care, many seniors may suffer from the lack of a support network. In those instances, they are vulnerable to feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression.

As a personal support worker, you’ll play a crucial role in providing care and companionship for those individuals during periods of incapacitation, recovery, or family upheaval. To provide assistance to those people, it’s helpful to know how to recognize neglect and the best methods for supporting your clients. Here’s a closer look at how you can help. 

Pay Close Attention to Your Clients After a PSW Course

If your client suffers from a history of neglect, it’s important to remain extra observant. In particular, many elderly clients lack frequent contact with their families–especially while living in long-term care facilities. In those cases, those with personal support worker training should take the time to ensure that clients feel comfortable, safe, and respected. Many clients will need help with eating, cleaning, personal hygiene, and mobility. Providing quality care in each of these areas is essential to ensuring your clients feel supported throughout their recovery–especially if they have experienced prior neglect. 

Beyond physical mistreatment, many clients suffer from emotional neglect through family or friends belittling or ignoring them. In those instances, it’s important to communicate clearly and compassionately with seniors while emphasizing value and sensitivity for the individuality of each client. 

Take Note of Family Dynamics After a PSW Course

Often neglect stems from dysfunctional family dynamics, which can lead to the emotional or financial abandonment of clients. If a client is experiencing personal problems within their support network, they may suffer from feelings of anxiety or insecurity–especially if they have few other resources to fall back on. As a personal support worker, you should pay attention to changes in your client’s mood after family visits. A PSW course teaches students to examine indicators of family abuse and their role when neglect is suspected. It’s important to help both clients and their families learn more about their rights and responsibilities. Treating clients with compassion and attention will help them regain their confidence and skills. At the same time, you can advise family members on how to play a more effective role to meet the needs of the client. 

Encourage Group Activities

As older clients become more physically vulnerable, they are less able to take care of themselves and may find it harder to take part in daily living activities or errands. On top of that, if a client has experienced neglect, they may not have a solid support network or close connections with others. In addition, seniors may have suffered the loss of friends or older family members that leads to a further sense of isolation. 

A personal support worker course is designed to teach students how to provide support to clients that will encourage them to live fulfilling lives in their communities. For clients who suffer from neglect, this may mean assisting them with building new friendships with those around them. Organizing group activities can be an effective way for clients to meet others in similar circumstances and re-establish healthy connections in their community. This process can also help to normalize the feelings of helplessness or social isolation that they might experience.

Interested in learning more about the value of personal support worker courses?

Contact Medix College today!

As a personal support worker, one of the most important responsibilities that you’ll have when caring for elderly clients is ensuring that their nutritional needs are met. As we age, our nutritional needs change, as do our eating habits and preferences – especially when other factors such as illness and restricted mobility come into play. At times, elderly clients may not have the capacity to take responsibility for their personal eating habits, and in order to maintain their health, it’s crucial that the personal support worker caring for them is familiar with how to properly plan their meals. 

If you’re considering a career as a personal support worker, you’ll be performing a range of services to ensure that the clients you work with are safe, comfortable, supported, and healthy. Below, discover some tips for fulfilling the nutritional needs of your senior clients throughout your career. 

Factors That Affect the Diet of Elderly Clients Explained for Those with Personal Support Worker Training

There are many factors that can influence the nutritional needs of elderly clients that those completing personal support worker training should be aware of. For one, the medication that a client is taking may affect their ability to digest certain foods, or may negatively impact their appetite due to nausea or other factors. Additionally, decreased sensitivity is commonly experienced among elderly clients, and this may create an aversion to consuming a sustainable amount of food. Dental or oral health problems may also create complications for elderly clients, as they may not be able to comfortably chew certain foods. Due to the many possible reasons that an elderly client’s diet or appetite may change as they age, it’s important to accommodate the dietary restrictions of your clients while keeping in mind their respective nutritional needs.

Ensure that Each Meal Is Filled with Nutrients

Ensuring that each meal is nutrient-rich will make it easier to fulfill the nutritional needs of elderly clients, despite a possible lack of appetite or aversion to certain foods. For example, consider adding a variety of vegetables to meals like pasta, or incorporating nuts, seeds, and fruits into breakfast items like yogurt or cereal. Aim for an adequate amount of whole grains, around 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables, and a limited amount of trans and saturated fats each day. 

Preventing Dehydration Is Important

One important component of a healthy diet that’s often overlooked is hydration. As we age, the signal telling us that we need to drink more water grows weaker, affecting the ability of seniors to know when it’s time to hydrate. After completing your personal support worker courses, you’ll be responsible for monitoring how much water your elderly clients are drinking. Try keeping a bottle of water next to them at all times, attempting to ensure that they consume around 9-12 cups of liquid in total throughout the day. Additionally, look out for signs of dehydration, including dark yellow urine. When your clients are properly hydrated, their urine will be almost clear in colour. 

As a personal support worker, taking these steps to ensure that your clients’ dietary needs are met will help you to support your clients in maintaining as healthy a lifestyle as possible as they age. Remember these tips when addressing the nutritional needs of elderly clients throughout your career.

Considering enrolling in a PSW course?

Start your training with a program at Medix College today!

Becoming a personal support worker is about caring for others, improving lives, and understanding how to help with daily activities, mobility, safety, and more. A PSW career can be one of the most rewarding decisions you make in your life. Not only will you be in-demand as a skilled worker with training and knowledge, but you’ll be able to apply those skills and knowledge to a meaningful professional path where you make a difference in the world.

If you’re a person who wants to work in a career where you help others, you likely already possess qualities like patience, kindness, and empathy. People who have these qualities can benefit a great deal from the personal development and job satisfaction that result from a personal support worker career. When you enter the field, you will likely start to see the benefits very quickly and notice that relationships at work are mutually positive. Read on for more about what makes this such a rewarding career path!

What Makes a PSW Career so Rewarding?

You Can Work in Many Different Environments

Part of a rewarding career is the opportunity for variety and growth – you can work:

• In nursing homes
• In private home care
• At hospitals
• With agencies

Emotional Rewards

• It feels good to help others 
• Know that you are making a difference
• Have a career you can be proud of
• Provide much-needed care
• Feel like part of a team and community
• Be a friendly and supportive presence in the lives of others
• Your clients can be positive people in your life, just as you are for them

You Can Personally Develop Through Your Work

• Become even more caring and compassionate
• Learn from the stories and perspectives of clients
• Increase your patience, both on and off the job
• See results of your efforts and build self-confidence

Your Clients Can Be Very Inspiring

Your clients may:

• Have difficulty performing everyday tasks
• Deal with reduced mobility
• Have pain that they need to manage
• Be seniors, with a lot of life experience behind them

You are likely to find your clients’ journeys inspiring, whether you’re intrigued by their life story or admire their persistence and grit in overcoming obstacles.

You Will Never Stop Learning New Things

• With an open mind, you can absorb new lessons each day
• Clients are all individuals who present new opportunities to learn
• As you overcome challenges and solve problems, you will grow

Sources: 

https://www.homecareontario.ca/home-care-services/services/personal-support

https://personalsupportworkerhq.com/top-6-reasons-to-become-psw/

https://personalsupportworkerhq.com/7-things/

https://teaandtoast.ca/12-facts-canadian-senior-citizens/

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/culture-and-workplace/8-amazing-facts-humor-workplace/

A Personal Support Worker (PSW) provides care and assistance to seniors, as well as clients who are chronically ill, or living with physical or mental disabilities. PSWs may find work in different environments–including in long-term care facilities, supportive housing, home care, and palliative care. 

Many individuals require support during a long period of recovery. The recovery process for these individuals is often hindered due to age-related illnesses. PSWs are there to offer restorative care during these times. Restorative care may be offered to individuals in a number of different settings: the patient’s home, assisted living services, or long-term care facilities. For many clients, the recovery process takes time and often requires slow-paced, consistent support. The goal is for clients to gradually adjust into the community and the activities of daily life. 

Here’s a closer look at how restorative care can provide a safe and supportive environment for those in recovery. 

Aim of Restorative Care for Those in Personal Support Worker School

Restorative care focuses on supporting the individual in a number of capacities. First and foremost, the goal of restorative care is to foster independence in clients through improved mobility and physical function. Hospitals can be physically and mentally limiting to patients, so it’s important that clients are given the chance to reconnect with their body and their surroundings. Following a period of debilitation, patients may feel disoriented or demoralized. Personal support workers, therefore, should aim to nurture a sense of self-esteem in clients so they feel confident taking on activities in daily life. 

PSW college teaches values centered around dignity, sensitivity, and respect for the individuality of each client. In a positive and stimulating environment, restorative care encourages clients to stay physically active, make connections in the community, and take ownership of their recovery.

Who May Benefit From Restorative Care?

Restorative care primarily caters to clients who no longer require intensive care, but who still need a level of support that they cannot get on their own. Following illness or a period of hospitalization, many clients need help re-adjusting to their situation–whether that be independent or assisted living. Professionals with personal support worker training should be able to provide nursing care to clients on a 24 hour basis. These clients no longer have medical needs that require specialist consulting, diagnostic testing, or intensive procedures. Clients who benefit most from restorative care are generally willing or able to participate in a rehabilitation program and have the potential for improvement. 

How is Restorative Care Different from Other Care Services? 

Restorative care focuses on the client taking an active role in their rehabilitation. The individual’s personal goals are at the center of the care plan, and personal support workers are there to help individuals achieve those goals. In contrast, some care and assisted living programs create a culture of dependency, in which the client remains reliant on care workers for carrying out their daily activities. Restorative care, on the other hand, aims to empower clients to live independently, safely, and positively. Unlike care facilities, in which the individual adapts to an organized setting and schedule, restorative care is about personalizing a care plan that fits in with the client’s circumstances and aspirations. 

Are you looking to attend personal support worker school? 

Explore your program options at Medix College today.

If you’re interested in a career as a personal support worker, being able to provide quality assistance to clients with physical disabilities will be an important skill to build throughout your career. Personal support workers provide care to those in need of assistance with a variety of tasks. Their clients may be elderly, chronically ill, mentally disabled, injured, and in many cases, physically disabled. 

Individuals with physical disabilities may rely on the assistance of personal support workers to perform daily tasks. As a personal support worker (PSW), it’s important to help these clients effectively in order to meet their emotional, physical, and social needs. 

If you’re interested in becoming a PSW, read on to learn how you can provide assistance to clients with physical disabilities.

Physical Disabilities Explained for Those with Personal Support Worker Training

A physical disability is one that affects the capacity of an individual to function physically. For clients with physical disabilities, a certain part of their body or body system doesn’t work the way it should, impeding their ability to perform certain physical tasks or complete daily activities. 

While some people that PSWs look after were born with a physical disability, such as individuals with muscular dystrophy, physical disabilities can also occur as a result of an accident or injury. Spinal cord damage, paraplegia and quadriplegia are all common physical disabilities that can result from accidents. Professionals with personal support worker training may provide assistance to clients with physical disabilities in the form of companionship, personal hygiene, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and more. 

Clients with Physical Disabilities May Face a Variety of Stressors

Stressors are factors or situations that cause frustration, anxiety, depression or other related emotions. While we all face certain stressors in our everyday lives, individuals with physical disabilities may undergo unique stressors due to their situation. Those with physical disabilities may be frustrated that they cannot perform certain tasks, or they may feel a lack of hope surrounding the future. 

They may be worried because their physical disability prevents them from financially supporting themselves–or they may struggle with feelings of isolation due to the fact that they can’t socialize as often as they once did. Whatever the case, it’s important for personal support workers to be aware of the stressors that their clients with physical disabilities face in order to provide them with the highest level of support.

PSWs Can Help Clients to Maintain Their Dignity and Independence

When caring for clients with physical disabilities, graduates of PSW college should prioritize promoting independence and maintaining the dignity of those they work with. While these individuals may have certain physical limitations, a physical disability typically does not prevent an individual from being independent in certain capacities. In order to give clients with physical disabilities more autonomy, personal support workers should allow their clients to do everything on their own that they’re capable of. When clients have more independence, they’re likely to feel more accomplished and less restrained by their disability.

Personal support workers can help people with disabilities to maintain their dignity

An essential element of assisting clients with physical disabilities is ensuring that they are treated with respect and kindness. Individuals with physical disabilities may require a higher level of care, but they have the same rights and needs as other adults. Personal support workers can maintain the dignity of clients with physical disabilities by listening to them carefully, respecting their privacy, involving them in decision-making processes, and remaining aware of their physical space. 

Is personal support worker school right for you?

Start your journey at Medix College today!

If you have a caring disposition, working as a Personal Support Worker can be a great career choice after healthcare training. It will allow you to make a real, positive difference in the lives of the clients you work for, helping them manageday-to-day difficulties they encounter so that they can enjoy a fuller life.

What exactly is it that makes Personal Support Workers so important? For those who are considering a career in personal support work after their healthcare courses, here’s a look at some of the specific ways PSWs can make a difference for their clients.

Why Are Personal Support Workers So Important?

Because of ageing, illness, and other circumstances, people sometimes have difficulty completing the everyday tasks that we often take for granted. A Personal Support Worker can help.

Who Benefits From Personal Support Workers?

There are a couple of broad categories of people that benefit greatly from PSWs:

The Elderly

• About 16.1% of Canadians are 65 or older
• This should increase to 20.1% by 2024
• About 33% of Canadian seniors have a disability

Clients with Disabilities

• There are 3.8 million Canadians living with disabilities that limit their activities
• About 75% of disabled Canadians have multiple disabilities
• 26% of people with disabilities rate them as “very severe”

The Value of Personal Support Workers

PSWs Assist with Daily Living

Age and disabilities can make daily tasks very difficult. PSWs can help their clients with many tasks, including but not limited to:

• Preparing meals
• Laundry
• Housekeeping
• Personal care
• Personal hygiene
• Bedside care

They Help Clients Enjoy a Better Quality of Life

More generally, personal support workers help clients

• Complete strenuous, difficult, or otherwise impossible tasks
• Maintain access to medical treatments
• Become more autonomous, and explore the outside world

Personal Support Workers Assist Clients in Various Settings

PSWs are employed to help clients in many settings, including

• Long-term care facilities
• Group homes
• Hospitals
• Health Centres
• Private care facilities
• Even at home!

Because of the Great Work They Do, More PSWs Are Needed

PSWs provide many necessary services, and demand for their services is on the rise

• Employment growth is expected to be strong
• A large number of existing PSWs will likely retire soon
• Historically, this position has low levels of unemployment

Sources:

statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2015001-eng.htm#a1

medixcollege.ca/Programs/PersonalSupportWorker

statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150929/dq150929b-eng.htm

canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system-services/ethical-issues-home-care.html

assistedlivingfacilities.org/resources/who-lives-in-assisted-living-/disabled/

who.int/features/factfiles/disability/en

cbc.ca/strombo/news/by-the-numbers-international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities

A personal support worker (PSW) provides care to individuals with a range of mental illnesses and disabilities, helping them to lead enjoyable lives through support and assistance with daily tasks. PSWs may work in long-term care facilities, patient’s homes, or in supportive housing organizations. If you want to become a PSW, it’s likely that you will be caring for patients with dementia symptoms. Today, over 747,000 Canadians are currently living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, and many of them require the help of personal support workers to perform daily functions.

Dementia is a complicated disease, and working with patients affected by dementia can be both a difficult and valuable experience. However, it’s important that you are equipped with the knowledge necessary to provide the right level of care and support to patients with dementia. Here are some ways that you can help those with dementia to feel comfortable, while also keeping them safe.

A Closer Look at Dementia for Those in Personal Support Worker Training

Dementia refers to a range of different symptoms, all of which represent a decline in an individual’s cognitive function. Memory loss is a common characteristic of dementia, but this condition can also affect a patient’s ability to communicate, focus, retain information, and apply logical reasoning. This condition can make it difficult for a person to perform daily tasks on their own, as they may find it difficult to recognize and voice their needs–in addition to suffering from shifts in personality, depression, paranoia and other psychological changes. 

If you have personal support worker training, you’ll assist patients living with dementia with a number of routine daily tasks, such as meal preparation, housekeeping, feeding and bathing. As a PSW, it’s important to provide a level of care that helps patients to cope with what they are experiencing, while above all, being a kind and supportive companion.

When Working with Patients Who Have Dementia, Prioritize Their Safety

A major reason that personal support workers are vital in the care of patients with dementia is that PSWs can help to keep these patients safe. Patients with dementia may undergo changes in their judgment, reasoning, and general behaviour. These changes can compromise the ability of these patients to make safe decisions, to handle objects, or to perform tasks—potentially opening them up to a variety of harmful situations. 

After attending psw college, it’s important to remain vigilant when working with patients suffering from dementia, as their actions could inadvertently put their safety or the safety of others in jeopardy. PSWs should ensure that patients cannot access toxic substances, and should be supervised when handling objects such as scissors, or when operating a stovetop. Patients with dementia may forget that they’ve left the oven on, or get disoriented if left outdoors by themselves. For this reason, it’s vital that PSWs provide a high level of supervision to patients with dementia.

Compassion is Important

When working with patients with dementia, one of the most important things to know as a PSW is that these patients often undergo behavioural changes where they may come across as agitated, disrespectful, or mean-spirited. It can be easy to take the actions and words of an individual with dementia personally. But in order to provide the level of companionship and care that these patients require, you must always remember to act with patience, empathy, and compassion. 

As a PSW, being respectful of a patient’s needs and experiences can help to ease their burden—an extremely rewarding aspect of this often challenging work. By addressing situations that arise with a genuine attempt to understand what the patient is going through, you can help to reduce the anxieties of patients with dementia and make them feel truly supported. 

Are you ready to attend personal support worker school?

Medix College has the program for you. Explore your options today.

Anxiety is classified by health professionals as a mental health state, characterized primarily by feelings of fear and worry. Anxiety ranges in its severity, and can become a problem for many if it becomes severe and left unattended, negatively impacting their quality of life. Seniors are particularly prone to anxiety, with recent research revealing generalized anxiety disorder to represent the most common form of mental illness in people over the age of 60.

As one of the common roles taken on by the personal support worker (PSW) is to provide assistance and companionship to people of this age category in various settings, it will be helpful to understand more on the link between anxiety and the senior population. We take a closer look below.

Why Are Seniors Prone to Anxiety?

Research on anxiety in the senior population points to chronic illness, discomfort from pain, insomnia, decreased mobility, feelings of isolation, the side effects of prescription drugs, and a reduction of independence as factors that can make them more at risk of developing anxiety. The prospect of reaching the end of one’s life is also on a lot of seniors’ minds, which can promote anxiety. In addition, seniors may also have endured the loss of friends and older family members by this stage of life, and be experiencing an extended, compounded period of grief as a result.

Of additional consideration, clients may be more prone to anxiety if they are grappling with a specific stressful event, interpersonal problems with family or other member of their emotional support network, or if they have a family history of anxiety.

What Are Some of the Symptoms of Anxiety in Seniors?

While many seniors suffer from anxiety, many do so in silence, and the signs are not always that evident to the people around them. If a client is irritable, quieter than normal, or excessively fearful for their safety, for example, this is often unfortunately brushed off as the anticipated behaviours of someone “just getting old.” In order to be of assistance to clients who have anxiety, graduates of PSW college will need to truly listen to their client’s concerns, and be on the lookout for some common signs of anxiety. 

The most common symptoms of the condition are the same in seniors as in other age groups, and include the avoidance of routine activities, withdrawal from social events, an excessively rapid heartbeat, and irrational fears.

Additionally, professionals with personal support worker training should be aware that the senior may repeatedly complain of feeling sick, without any of the accompanying symptoms of an obvious physical illness. This can be due to physical feelings of illness caused by stress and anxiety. Clients may complain of feeling nauseous, and may also exhibit physical symptoms such as sweating, shaking, or shallow and rapid breathing. Of course, these symptoms should also be investigated by another healthcare professional to rule out other potential causes.

How Can Professionals with Personal Support Worker Training Help?

One of the best things a personal support worker can do to ensure seniors suffering from anxiety get the help they need is to remain observant. Close observation can help PSWs spot any notable changes in behaviour or physical state. If any of the most common symptoms of anxiety are noted, these should be communicated immediately with the PSW’s colleagues and any members of the client’s extended health practitioner team so that the individual can be professionally assessed. 

Are you interested in making a positive difference to people’s lives as a PSW? 

Contact Medix College to learn more about training through personal support worker school! 

You’ve heard it from friends and family, and felt it in your gut for as long as you can remember—it just seems like you were put on this earth to help people! If you’re lucky enough to possess this highly benevolent quality, you should strongly consider the idea of becoming a personal support worker.

Having great people skills and a giving spirit is a fantastic start, but thorough training will also be needed to learn how to adequately support seniors and people living with physical or mental disabilities. Wondering if personal support work is the right fit for you? To help you decide, let’s take a closer look at the role.

What Exactly Does a Personal Support Worker Do?

A personal support worker’s primary role is to help seniors and those with medical conditions and physical or mental disabilities carry out their daily living activities with as much independence as possible. Some examples of daily activities the personal support worker (PSW) may be required to assist with include feeding, dressing, toileting, social engagement, and sometimes even light household tasks like cooking meals. 

In addition to helping with things like grooming and hygiene, a key part of the role is also to provide companionship and help the person maintain dignity and self-respect.

What Personal Traits Do You Need for this Role?

It takes a special individual to become a personal support worker in order to help seniors, people who have chronic illnesses, and those who have physical or mental disabilities. As a supportive presence to the client, the ideal PSW is both compassionate and caring in order to help build the confidence and self-esteem of the person they’re caring for.

A personal support worker must be honest and trustworthy. Due to the nature of working in a homecare setting, there are some security issues to keep in mind. The sensitive nature of physically handling a client is part of a care regimen. Therefore, personal support workers need to help maintain their clients’ rights and dignity throughout this process. They must also be a great communicator and team player, in order to successfully collaborate with any other health care workers needed in the client’s individualized care plan.

Where Can Personal Support Workers Get Employed?

After graduating with the knowledge learned in a PSW course, a trainee will have the qualifications to pursue work as a PSW. They may also find work as a residential support worker, personal care attendant, child care & personal support worker, or as a personal aide live-in caregiver. 

Personal support workers will often work under the direct or indirect supervision of a registered nurse. They can be employed in a variety of settings such as: hospitals, group homes,  long-term care facilities, and clients’ private homes.  

What Does a PSW Course Entail?

By attending personal support worker school, you’ll receive professional training to become a qualified PSW in less than a year. As a student of this specialized program, you’ll learn how to provide effective care to clients, and develop the sensitivity needed to help them live with dignity. 

Your training will cover important subjects such as: nutrition, health conditions, body systems, abuse and neglect, and more. In addition, because of the practical hands-on nature of this career path, hands-on and practical training is also an important part of a comprehensive PSW program. For example, students at Medix complete two externships in real workplace settings—providing invaluable field experience that has helped many students after graduation.

Are you looking for a rewarding and challenging career in which you can also truly do good for others?

Get the training you need through personal support worker courses at Medix College! 

Mental health problems can affect anyone at any age. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. This shows that mental health is a major problem in Canada today.

Personal support workers provide life-changing care to clients who are older, chronically ill, or living with a mental or physical disability. While difficulties with mental health might be more difficult to spot, this ‘invisible’ illness can have a huge and damaging impact on people’s lives. 

Read on to find out how you could help clients who are struggling with mental health during your personal support worker career. 

Spot the Signs After Personal Support Worker Courses 

Mental health is just as important as physical health. After graduating from personal support worker courses, knowing how to spot warning signs could help ensure that your healthcare team provides the support that clients most need. 

Unlike physical pain like a broken leg, mental health problems can be a lot harder to identify in others. As well as this, it can be difficult for people to find the words to explain to others how they are feeling and what they are experiencing. This makes it even more important for personal support workers to pay attention to their clients, and look for signs that they are struggling. 

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health illnesses. Someone who is struggling with depression and/or anxiety might change their sleeping and eating habits. Are they sleeping significantly more or less than the average person? Have they lost their appetite, or are they binge eating? Sometimes, these can be signs of a mental illness.

Listen to Clients Carefully

In our PSW program, one of the main ways you can learn to help someone–who is struggling with their mental health–is to listen and provide emotional support. As part of your training, you will learn how to be an active and non-judgemental listener. Ask open-ended questions such as ‘how are you feeling today?’ 

By being ready to listen, you can help the client feel less alone and assure them that they always have someone to talk to when they need. However, be careful not to pressure clients into talking about something if they don’t want to. Mental health can be a very sensitive topic. 

Provide Practical as Well as Emotional Support 

If someone is struggling with mental illness, practical tasks like cooking and cleaning can fall to the bottom of the list. Helping someone with these daily tasks as a personal support worker can help to greatly reduce people’s feelings of anxiety, and is an easy and practical way to provide support. 

This is also a way to ensure that the client is living a healthy lifestyle, which could improve their mental health. You could help the client to eat and sleep well, and even exercise outside if possible. 

Know When to Refer Them to a Professional 

There might be moments in your career as a personal support worker when a client may need to be referred to another professional. If a client is self-harming or showing signs of being suicidal, it’s important to escalate this and notify an appropriate healthcare professional because the client could be in danger. 

Do you want to help others by taking a PSW course?

Contact Medix College today!