Caregiver Opportunity – Manotick, Ontario (Retirement Residence) Schedule: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM (3 hours/visit) Location: Manotick, ON (Orchard Walk Retirement Community)
- ️ Important Note — Relationship-First Placement: This client has advanced dementia and is highly resistant to care from unfamiliar people. Previous PSWs through agencies and government programs have failed because they moved too fast and didn't invest in building trust. The right caregiver must be willing to go at the client's pace — progress may be slow at first and that is expected. Patience, consistency, and a genuine ability to connect are the most important qualities for this role.
About the Client: This role supports an 85-year-old francophone woman living in a retirement residence in Manotick. She has dementia and resides in her own room at the facility. She spends most of her time alone in her room and rarely makes it to the dining hall. Her three daughters — based in Toronto, Finch Creek, and Germany — are coordinating her care together and are committed to supplementing the residence's support with private, consistent one-on-one care.
She has dementia and is a high fall risk. She has had both hips and a knee replaced and has limited mobility — she uses a walker for short walks and a wheelchair for longer outings. She is resistant to personal hygiene assistance, including showering, which the residence has also struggled to achieve. The goal is to build enough trust over time that light hygiene support becomes possible — hair, clothing, and basic grooming to start. She is proud and independent by nature — she will often insist she has already done things (showered, changed clothes) when she hasn't. Gentle, non-confrontational redirection works best, framing tasks as preparation for an outing or activity. She goes back and forth between English and French — a bilingual caregiver is a meaningful asset. She struggles with strong accents, so clear, easy-to-understand English or French is important. The family's primary near-term goals are: getting her to the dining hall for at least one meal per visit, assisting with light grooming and clothing changes, and improving her quality of life through genuine companionship. The residence currently charges extra for meal delivery to her room — getting her to the dining hall would benefit both her wellbeing and the family's costs. The family is warm, engaged, and realistic about expectations — they are not looking for perfection, just meaningful improvement over time.
Responsibilities:
Companionship and trust-building — spending genuine, unhurried time with the client; the first weeks are about building a relationship, not completing tasks Meal accompaniment — gently encouraging and accompanying the client to the dining hall for lunch; this is a primary goal for every visit Light hygiene support — gentle cueing and assistance with hair, clothing changes, and basic grooming as the relationship allows; framing tasks naturally (e.g. "we're going to lunch, let's get ready") Mobility support — accompanying the client on short walks with her walker or wheelchair outings within the residence Cognitive and social engagement — conversation, reminiscing, light activities tailored to her interests and comfort level Wellness monitoring — noting mood, behaviour, and any changes each visit and communicating with the family
What We're Looking For:
PSW certification with demonstrated experience working with clients who have dementia — essential Patient, warm, and relationship-oriented — this is the single most important quality for this placement Bilingual (French/English) strongly preferred — the client switches between languages and a caregiver who can follow along will build trust far more quickly Clear, accent-neutral English or French — the client struggles with strong accents Female caregiver required Comfortable working within a retirement residence environment Experienced with fall risk clients and mobility assistance (walker and wheelchair) Located in or near Manotick/Ottawa
Schedule: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM (3 hours/visit). Timing is flexible within the late morning to early afternoon window to ensure lunch at the dining hall is covered. Three-month recurring schedule
