Caregiver Opportunity – Barrie, Ontario (Retirement Residence) Schedule: Saturday – Sunday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM (6 hours/visit) ongoing + occasional weekday coverage (currently: specifically, July 10, and July 30 to Aug 4th) Location: Barrie, ON (Amica retirement residence)
About the Client: This role supports an elderly female client, 97 years old, living in a retirement residence in Barrie. The client is a kind, gentle, and formerly highly accomplished woman with a teaching background and multiple degrees. She has Japanese heritage and was raised with Japanese cultural values — a caregiver who is culturally aligned or familiar with Japanese culture would be a meaningful asset.
The client has short-term memory loss but her long-term memory remains relatively intact. She is oriented to time of day but not always to the specific day. She knows and recognizes her family members. She has been missing morning meals and lunches at the residence due to sleeping through mealtimes and insufficient prompting from staff. She has lost significant weight as a result — getting the client to meals and ensuring she eats is a top priority. She has been falling more frequently, primarily during transitions — moving from the couch or bed to her walker. She uses a walker and moves well once upright, but forgets to use it and struggles with the sit-to-stand transition. She has severe hearing loss even with hearing aids. The caregiver must be comfortable speaking in a raised, clear voice and maintaining face-to-face communication. The client also reads lips. Evening personal care, including showers, is handled by residence staff — this role focuses exclusively on morning and daytime support. Family visits regularly in the late afternoon and on weekends, so the caregiver role covers the morning gap.
Responsibilities:
Meal support and encouragement — ensuring the client wakes, gets up, and makes it to breakfast and lunch; encouraging her to eat and accompanying her to the dining room Mobility assistance and fall prevention — assisting with sit-to-stand transitions, reminding the client to use her walker, and providing steady supervision during movement Morning dressing assistance — helping the client get dressed, including socks and shoes, while encouraging her to do as much as possible independently Vitamin reminder — reminding the client to take her daily vitamin and Aspirin (taken three times per week) Companionship and engagement — providing social interaction and a consistent, familiar presence throughout the morning; the client is social by nature and has been withdrawing since moving to the residence
What We're Looking For:
PSW certification or equivalent experience in personal support or companion care Experience working with clients with memory loss and dementia Fall prevention awareness and comfort with mobility assistance and sit-to-stand transitions Comfortable communicating at a raised volume and maintaining clear face-to-face communication with a client who has severe hearing loss Warm, patient, and gentle — the client responds well to kind encouragement and a collaborative approach to assistance Culturally sensitive; familiarity with Japanese culture or background is a strong asset Reliable and consistent — a familiar daily presence is important for the client's comfort and engagement
Schedule: Starting schedule: Saturday – Sunday, 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM Family covers evenings and weekends. This is a daily weekday role with a focus on morning and midday support.
