What a personal support worker can do
PSWs are trained for far more than most families realise. Here is what our caregivers can help with, and where a nurse takes over.
In New Brunswick, personal support worker is a designated occupation with a provincial standard set by the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Board. That standard covers personal care, household management, mobility, rehabilitation support, medication assistance, behaviour management, first aid, and care for people with dementia, disabilities, sensory impairments and addictions.
In short: if a need is about daily living, safety, routine or company, a PSW can often help.
What our PSWs help with
Everyday personal care
- Bathing, showering, dressing and grooming
- Toileting, continence and skin care
- Mouth, hair, nail and foot hygiene (no medical foot care)
- Help eating and drinking
Mobility and safety
- Walking, transfers and repositioning
- Mechanical lifts and two-person transfers
- Wheelchairs, walkers and other aids
- Fall prevention and first aid and CPR
Health support
- Medication reminders and assistance
- Help using oxygen and other equipment
- Following exercises from a physio or OT
- Noticing changes and reporting to family and nurses
Cognitive, behavioural and emotional support
- Dementia care and routines
- Support for intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Non-violent crisis intervention and behaviour support plans
- Support for people living with mental illness or addiction
Home and community
- Meal planning, cooking and special diets
- Housekeeping, laundry and groceries
- Rides, errands and appointments
- Social outings, clubs and community activities
Family support
- Respite for family caregivers, day or night
- Comfort care at the end of life
- Care for children and youth with extra needs
- Teaching families safe ways to help
With extra training and a nurse's teaching
Some tasks a PSW can do once a nurse has taught them for that specific person, and the task is routine and stable:
- Routine catheter care and emptying drainage bags
- Routine ostomy care
- Tube feeding for a stable client
- Simple, clean dressings
- Applying prescribed creams and eye drops
Needs a nurse
These are nursing tasks. We work alongside the Extra-Mural Program or your nurse, and our PSWs handle everything around them:
- Injections and IV lines
- Assessing new or changing medical conditions
- Complex or sterile wound care
- Adjusting medication doses
- Medical foot care
Exactly which tasks are taught depends on the person, the care plan and the nurse responsible. We confirm every task in writing before care begins.
Not sure if we can help? Ask us.
A care coordinator will listen, answer your questions and book a free visit at home. No cost, no obligation.