Community Resources and Supports
Clients living in their own homes may access other community resources in order assist them in maintaining their independence; with some communities having many resources to support clients in their homes, where others may have only a few. As a Health Care Assistant, you may encounter employees from these resources or you may assist in the care and maintenance of equipment provided by such resources.
Below is a list of some community resources clients may access in British Columbia. Resources may vary from community to community.
- Home oxygen therapy, CPAP supplies and sleep apnea testing. See examples from the Vital Aire website (https://www.vitalaire.ca/)
- Meal Delivery. See the Seniors Meals on Wheels page on the Interior Community Services BC website examples (https://www.interiorcommunityservices.bc.ca/programs/seniors/meals-wheels).
- Better at Home Program — provides non-medical home support services. See examples from the Better at Home website (https://betterathome.ca/)
- Medical Alert Systems. See examples from the LifeLine website (https://www.lifeline.ca/en/).
- Transportation Services. See the Rider Guide Transit Accesssibility Handydart FAQ page on the TransLink website: https://www.translink.ca/rider-guide/transit-accessibility/handydart-faq
Summary:
Health Care Assistants working in the home support environment are often referred to as community health or home support workers. Working in the home environment, the HCA ensures the environment is safe for the client and themselves. The HCA provides personal care, housekeeping tasks, as well as health-related tasks that have been delegated to them by a registered nurse.
References
American Institute for Preventive Medicine. (2012). Burns. http://www.healthylife.com/online/HealthierAtHome/ASEA/Burns.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014a, May 19). Injury prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyhomes/bytopic/injury.html
Leahy, W., Fuzy, J., & Grafe, J. (2013). Providing home care: A textbook for home health aides (4th ed.). Hartman.
MedlinePlus (2014, July 22). Burns. In A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. National Medical Library. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000030.htm
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, August 23). At-a-glance – 2015 injury deaths in Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/reports-publications/health-promotion-chronic-disease-prevention-canada-research-policy-practice/vol-39-no-6-7-2019/2015-injury-deaths.html
Riberdy, K., Brar, H., Gallacher, T. & Samaroo, S. (2022) Identifying Environment Hazards in the Home [Activity website]. Seneca College/ Affinity Learning. (https://app.affinitylearning.ca/community/play/551/sessions/320954), from Affinity Learning. This project, funded by eCampusOntario, has a CC BY SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) licence.
World Health Organization. (2012, October). Falls fact sheet (No. 344). http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs344/en/
