Published on: October 03, 2017

Hearts and Hands event targets highest injury occupation in B.C.

Richmond B.C. — More than 250 health care assistants (HCAs) are meeting today in Vancouver at the first ever Lower Mainland conference to focus on the health and well-being of HCAs.

Health care assistants — the more than 32,000 frontline caregivers in homes, residential-care facilities and hospitals in B.C. — experience the highest number of accepted time-loss claims of any occupation in the province, with more than 16,000 time-loss claims between 2012 and 2016 alone. The largest number of injuries occurs in residential care, followed by home care and hospitals.

"We've seen an 11 percent increase in the last five years, from 2,961 time-loss claims in 2012 to 3,274 claims in 2016," says Stephen Symon, Manager, Health Care and Social Services, Industry and Labour Services, at WorkSafeBC. "These are preventable injuries we're seeing. We believe improved safe-work practices will reduce injuries." The Hearts and Hands Conference will focus on the challenges of staying healthy while working in health care, and offer coping strategies for working with families and using laughter to promote self-care. Keynote speaker Elizabeth Causton, a former clinical counsellor, will talk about the importance of setting boundaries as a frontline caregiver, whom she calls the "unsung heroes" of health care.

"In the context of work that is both complex and deeply personal, frontline workers in healthcare face many challenges that can profoundly affect their morale and sense of wellbeing," says Causton. "The key to maintaining good health and resiliency involves embracing the challenges we can control, celebrating individual and collective strengths to foster a more positive environment, and nourishing a joyful life."

According to WorkSafeBC statistics, 36 percent of all injuries in the health care subsector are reported by HCAs — a group that includes community health workers, residential-care aides, and home support workers, among others. Eighty-nine percent of claims are filed by women; 22 percent are from workers over the age of 55.

The top three types of injury are: overexertion, acts of violence, and slips, trips, and falls. The WorkSafeBC health-care sector resource list includes videos, discussion guides, pamphlets and bulletins on handling patients safely, fall prevention, reducing the risk of workplace violence, and dementia-care best practices.

The one-day Vancouver conference builds on the success of last year's inaugural conference in Victoria. It also marks the expansion of Hearts & Hands to two day-long events — the other in Victoria on Oct. 26 — that will reach 410 HCAs, almost triple the number of participants in 2016. Both events sold out within weeks of being announced.

The Vancouver conference is being held at the Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Media are invited from 9 a.m. until noon. WorkSafeBC's Stephen Symon, keynote speaker Elizabeth Causton, MSW, and HCA Jul Parojinog are available for interviews the week of October 3.

The 2017 Vancouver Heart and Hands Conference organizing committee is a unique partnership among Health Care Assistant employers and educators that includes: Sprott Shaw College, First Nations Health Authority, Delta View Life Enrichment Centre, SafeCare BC, Bayshore Home Health, Home Instead Senior Care, Providence Health Care, Fraser Health, Kwantlen Polytechnic, and WorkSafeBC.

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the provincial government. The organization serves approximately 2.3 million workers and 231,000 employers throughout British Columbia. In administering the Workers Compensation Act, the organization is accountable to the public through the provincial government.

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Media contact to arrange for an interview:

Gillian Burnett
Media Relations, WorkSafeBC
Tel: 604.244.6330
Cell: 778.870.3848
Email: gillian.burnett@worksafebc.com