HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-05-04, Page 25Arbor Day teaches respect
Plant a tree for tomorrow
Patty MacDonald and Patti Reid were part of a large clean-up crew made up of Goderich
elementary school students, who aided in the,Arbor Day parks grooming throughout town.
All Goderich schools also held-a:Area planting ceremony asn.part of the Arbor D' iy
festivities. (photo by Dave Sykes) .
Mayor Deb Shewfelt gets some assistance in the tree planting ceremonies
at Robertson Public School last Thursday. The mayor assisted in the
planting at the school as part of the Arbor Day festivities. The elementary
school students also spent a few hours in grooming the parks in Goderich
Godericth
and Lisa Lamb found plenty of work in Bingham Park. This was the
fourth annual Arbor Day held in assistance with the Goderich Parks
Department. (photo by Dave Sykes)
SINAL -STAR
131 YEAR -18
. THURSDAY, MAY1,1978 .,
-SETONITS'ECTION ..
Homemakers catching on in Huron
BY JOANNE WALTERS
Homemaker Service. It's a relatively
new idea in rural Canada but one which
is taking shape quite nicely in Huron
County thanks to a Canada Works grant
which has enabled a charitable.
organization called Town and Country
Homemakers to get started. This
organization, having sold over 6,000
hours of homemaking service to county
-residents in its first three months of
operation (January to March), has
proven that a need for such service does
exist here.
Town and Country Homemakers'
main office is located at 199 Josephine
Street in Wingham and the ad
ministrator is Jean Young. The Canada
Works grant worth '$33,540" helps to
employ four people at the office who co-
ordinate, supervise and develop
homemaking in Huron County.
Homemakers help maintain and
preserve ,a family environment with
skills in both homemaking and personal
care when the individual's or family's
physical or mental well-being is
threatened, disrupted or in the process
of rehabilitation. Trained homemakers
can assume full or partial responsibility
in the care of infant, child, youth, adult,
elderly, handicapped or chronically ill
person. They can plan meals, prepare
nourishing food, cook for special diets,
do the marketing, light housekeeping,
laundry, ironing, necessary mending
and personal care . including baths,
mouth care, help with eating, aid in and
out of bed and up and down stairs and if
needed, can perform simple bedside
care under the direction of a nurse or
doctor, and therapy under a physio,
occupational or speech therapist.
WHO CAN BUY SERVICES?
Any resident in Huron County can buy
the services of a homemaker through the
Town and Country Homemakers
organization on a private basis. For
example, elderly, handicapped or
chronically ill people can buy this ser-
vice which will keep them' out of nursing
homes and hospitals in many cases and
in their own homes' where they are
generally happier.
Families can also hire ho ±,emakers on
a private basis to look after children or
other dependents when absent during
holidays, illness or convalescence.
The Home Care program can also buy
homemaker services. Home Care is an
active treatment programwhich
provides health care in the home to
selected patients according to individual.
needs. O.H.I.P. covers the charge.
Social Services and Family and
Children's Services may help pay the
fees of homemaker services where a
child needs care during the absence of a
mother or other person in whose charge
he is ; or if an elderly, handicapped, ill
person or convalescent •requires such.
service on a part-time basis in order that
he remain in his own home.
The Cancer Society may also buy
homemaker services for cancer patients
who wish to be cared for in their own
homes.
In the first three months of operation,
Home Care had bought most of the
homemaker service from Town and
Country Homemakers at 57.7 per cent or
3,430 hours and 80 clients. Private people
had bought 35.1 per cent of the services
at 2,000 hours and 22 clients. Social
Services had bought seven per cent of
the services and Family and Children's
Services had bought .1 per cent.
NOT JUST FOR ELDERLY
Mrs. Young says a real variety of
people use the homemaker service. Most
of the private people buying homemaker
service are elderly people facing nursing
homes. With just a small amount of help
from a homemaker who may do the
shopping, run ,errands, or do some
cleaning for the elderly person,'he or she
can stay in his or her own home. The
homemaker often makes good company
for the elderly person too. One of the
biggest of the private demands is for
live-in help and Town and Country
Homemakers is trying to keep up with
that demand. , •
Mrs. Young would emphasize that the
homemaker service is not only for the
elderly and the handicapped. The ser-
vices provided can be used by people of
all ages, even by young mothers who feel
they have to get out of the house at least
once a month. These young mothers can
be relieved of their duties by a
homemaker so they may do just that.
The only criteria for homemaker service
eligibility is that the homemaker service
must be needed for some reason,
whether it be if the individual's or
family's physical or mental well-being is
threatened, disrupted or in the process
of rehabilitation as mentioned before.
Mrs. Young says that the Wingham
area has been the busiest area for the
new homemaking service so far with
approximately 56 cases. The Goderich
and Clinton area have required services
-for approximately 35 cases (15 in Clinton
and 20 in Goderich). There are 14
homemakers in the Goderich and
Clinton area with about eight of those in
Goderich. In all there are about 50 to 60
homemakers spread out all over the
rb
county. Mrs. Young, a former
homemaker working through the Home
Care program, interviews all the
homemakers .before they are hired by
Town and Country Homemakers and if
anyone is interested in being in-
Jean Young.......Wingham most receppve
terviewed for such a job, they may
contact Mrs. Young at the Wingham
office.
HOMEMAKERS TRAINED
Most of the homemakers hired have
been trained through a three month
Certified Visiting Homemakers Course
run by Canada Manpower at Conestoga
College in Clinton. Mrs. Young has
requested another such three month
course. for 12 more interested
homemakers next spring.
Homemakers should have their own
transportation but this is not an absolute
necessity says Mrs. Young. A good
homemaker is adaptable, mature,
confidential and has a warm per-
sonality. A homemaker gets into a lot of
situations which require maturity and
the average age of the Town and Country
homemaker is between 35 and 60 years.
The homemaker must be sensitive to
her client's needs. Her job often involves
a combination of this sensitivity and
being told what to do by the client.
As clients become better or able to
function on their own without help, many
homemakers, work themselves right out
of a job but there are always others
available.
An excerpt from the homemakers'
code of ethics says: "The homemaker
will respect the privacy, dignity and
other rights of persons and will use in-
formation obtained in the course of
duties in a responsible manner...The
homemaker will work directly under the
supervision of a medical person towards
the rehabilitation of the physically,
emotionally or mentally ill and -or
handicapped individual or family."
MORE THAN CLEANING
The homemaker does not simply do
house cleaning. Her job is a combination
of many duties. While she can't directly
give medication, she can encourage her
client to take his or her medication at the
proper times according to a schedule
which may be made up by a nurse. The
homemaker .can also do mouth care,
give bed baths and perform other per-
sonal care. Sometimes a list of exercises
may be 'given to her by a therapist. She
can then go thitough these exercises with
her client 'as often as required. This is
good for stroke patients, those suffering
from arthritis and older people.
Mrs. Young says there are about five
or six house cleaners around the county.
Town and Country .Homemakers is
looking into the idea of just simply
having house cleaners to do house work
in some cases. For example, one house
cleaner went to an elderly couple's home
to do their spring cleaning for them as
both had suffered strokes and couldn't
do anything too physically strenuous.
Other than,their heavy household
chores, the cuple was able to function
fine without assistance from a
homemaker. Some clients may have
both homemakers and house cleaners if
necessary says Mrs. Young.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE •
Town and Country Homemakers .have
one qualified homemaker on staff who is
subsidized presently with the help of the
Canada Works grant. Her services may
therefore be sold to private buyers at a
reduced rate if necessary, It is always
nice to have some money on hand, for'
helping out private buyers who require a
homemaker hut can't necessarily afford
one, says Mrs. Young. Town and
Country Homemakers will have a door
to door canvass around October in order
to raise enough money so that private
buyers may still be able to buy
homemaker services at a reduced rate if
needed again next year after the
government grant runs out.
Also, if a person has an income of less
than $1,500' a year or if a couple has a
total income of,,less than $2,500 a year,
they may be eligible for financial
assistance from Community and Social
Services in order to benefit from the
services of either a homemaker or nurse
in their own home, without having the
family disrupted. If you need these
services, but cannot afford all of the cost
involved, phone or visit your municipal
welfare office. You can 'also receive
information by contacting the regional
office or sub -office nearest you
(Wingham, Box 510 (357-3370) or
Stratford, 380 Hibernia' Street (271-
.1530) ).
Mrs. Young 'would emphasize again
that Town and Country Homemakers is
being incorporated and registered as a
"Charitable Organization" under the
Canada Income Tax Act. Town and
Country Homemakers is not a private
business but a non profit organization
which runs on what it makes.
The homemakers with the Town and
Country Homemakers organization are
paid for their services by the hour plus
mileage and benefits. The client,
whether a private buyer or Home Care
or Social Services buyer, pays Town and
Country Homemakers who in turn pay
their homemakers.
HOW THE SERVICE
STARTED HERE
When the Home Care program started
Turn to page 3A •