Peter Grampola just wants to go home.
But despite recovering from a serious illness that brought the 68-year-old Thorold resident to Greater Niagara General Hospital nearly five months ago, he has no choice but to remain there.
“I’m not too happy with the way things worked out,” he said.
The problem is a provincewide shortage of personal support workers.
“They don’t pay those PSWs enough for one thing,” Peter said. “It’s just a whole terrible situation.”
“The only way to address the growing numbers of those requiring homecare is to improve working conditions. There needs to be better wages and benefits to make the job more attractive,” Burch added.
Despite their passion for the work they do, Burch said PSWs also receive inadequate mileage compensation, “little time to travel between clients, and have their shifts cancelled on short notice.”
“They are burned out in a very short time,” he wrote.