Welcome to the 2023 CACCE Conference!
Theme: Navigating Support Worker Education in a Post-Pandemic World
Keynote Speaker
These Brightly Colored Threads: Lessons Learned During the Pandemic
Francoise Mathieu
Francoise is a specialist in organizational stress and trauma-exposed work who has worked with health care, child welfare, social services, law enforcement, military personnel, education, and other professionals in need of psychological support. Her work as a front-line mental health provider, and early life growing up in Nunavik, have led her to explore the impact of provider impairment, burnout, and empathic strain on communities.
Please follow this link for more information about Francoise.
Written by Francoise:
Videos of Francoise:
Description of Conference Presentations
Teaching PSWs About MAID: A Unique Reflective Activity and Ways to Respond Using VERS
Presenters: Kath Murray, RN, BSN, MA, Mahoganie Hines RN, BSN
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Developing a reflective practice is essential for personal support workers (PSWs) because it develops the person’s awareness of personal beliefs and values, paving the way to providing unbiased care. Reflective activities can also help students and healthcare providers navigate the ethical tensions and challenges they experience in their professional and in their personal lives. Medical assistance in dying (MAID) is a topic that can be challenging for educators and students to discuss because of personal beliefs and values.
Join this presentation to participate in a unique reflective activity specifically developed to help students explore their beliefs and values related to MAID. This activity can easily be integrated into core curriculum and is an example of how a reflective practice explored in a safe classroom environment can help prepare students to provide care that is free of judgement and interference, while still honouring their personal beliefs. Then, learn how to support PSWs to apply the innovative VERS tool to help develop responses for difficult situations, for example, when responding to questions about MAID.
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In this presentation, participants will 1) Participate in a unique reflective activity specifically designed to explore values and beliefs about MAID; 2) Understand how to provide a safe space for people with different cultural and ethical values to discuss difficult conversations, such as those related to MAID and 3) Learn how to apply the steps of VERS when responding to questions about MAID.
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Bio of Presenters:
Kath Murray is a hospice and palliative care nurse, educator, author (“Integrating a Palliative Approach: Essentials for Personal Support Workers”), and founder of Life and Death Matters. Kath is passionate about the improving care of people living and dying with life-limiting illness and their families.
Mahoganie Hines is a Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultant, describes herself as a “shift disturber”, and is an advocate for clients, their families, and her teammates.
Empowerment Through Reflection
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Presenters: Sylvia Ryan, PSW; Caroline Tachejian, BA DSW; Laura Bulmer RN, BScN, M.Ed.; Anita Plunket, RPN, Cert. Ad. Ed.
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Reflection involves an individual deeply examining all aspects of events and experiences from different perspectives and is a key competency to have for those who provide support work in Canada. For educators, developing a culture of learning through the practice of reflection delivers continuous learning and focuses attention on quality outcomes of supportive care. This process benefits support workers, and individuals who receive support. Through the support worker’s ability to shift their views, add meaning to their observations and provide rationale behind their care, leads to best practices.
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Many PSW/HCA/CCA programs have little to minimal content covering reflective practice or critical thinking. Teaching this process can help support workers to “navigate the post pandemic word”. In this presentation we will provide the relevancy of this practice to students, a comparison of reflective and critical reflection, the therapeutic benefits for professional and personal life, in addition to a high level overview of current reflective practice tools and resources for educators who wish to implement this in their theory classes or clinical groups.
This presentation will be designed and delivered by PSW educators from two different sectors and a PSW working in the field.
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Bio of Presenters
Laura Bulmer, RN, BScN, M.Ed. is a full-time faculty member in the PSW Program at George Brown College in Ontario. 
 
Caroline Tachejian, B.A., DSW is a part time faculty member in the PSW Program at a Community College in Ontario.
 
Sylvia Ryan, Professional PSW, is a full-time community PSW.
 
Anita Plunkett, RPN, Cert Ad. Ed is a full time Coordinator of CESBA DSB PSW programming.
Innovative Teaching Strategies: PSW’s Support a Holistic Approach to Mental Health Initiatives through Intergenerational Opportunities During the Pandemic – A Teaching City Project
Presenter (s): Kimberlee Neault RDH, BA Gero
This abstract highlights the innovative teaching strategy implemented when the Personal Support Worker (PSW) Faculty and students at Durham College where tasked with pandemic delivery, transitioning from in person to online delivery of experiential learning opportunities in the PSW program. PSW students with mentorship from their faculty member, took part in a Teaching City Challenge Project with the City of Oshawa. Students were tasked with finding solutions to support older adults in our community by reducing social isolation through a holistic approach to mental health initiatives through intergenerational opportunities during the pandemic. The students responded by creating several co-designed solutions. Originally tasked with creating low-tech or no-tech solutions the students had to quickly pivot to meet the needs of delivering social support to the older adult in our community during CoVid lockdown. Through this digital volunteering city idea, students were able to gain real-world experience, practice important skills like leadership, problem solving and time management, along with opportunities to apply their classroom learning to practical scenarios that have real implications, building self-esteem and exposure to potential job prospects as well.
The benefits of collaboration with stakeholders is evident when co-created solutions such as the unique digital volunteering project are explored along with how the students overcame the challenges before them to deliver meaningful, holistic programming to isolated senior. The attendee with gain valuable insight into how PSW programs can collaborate with their community to find solutions tailored to unique needs and preferences of those in our care as PSW’s.
Bio of presenter: Kimberlee Neault RDH, BA Gero is a full-time professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Durham College. Currently teaching in both the PSW and Dental programs. Holding a degree in Gerontology and a specialization certificate in Dementia, she brings her passion for working with the older adult to the PSW program providing engaging community collaborations & experiential learning to her classroom.
