Giving Back to Long-Term Care Heroes | A year into pandemic fight, Extendicare renews investment in Senior Living CaRES Fund

More than $2.3 million has been awarded to 679 senior living workers across Canada. Applications are open again to help even more heroes

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A year into this pandemic fight, as the shape-shifting COVID-19 virus adapts and evolves, the care providers in our homes have only shown more resolve.

At Extendicare, we continue to be humbled by those on the frontlines — the love, sense of duty and responsibility, the dedication and professionalism. On top of the hard work, and heartbreak, there is heroism, determination and clear, unrelenting focus.

In recognition of the extraordinary efforts of frontline staff in the face of a once-in-a-century pandemic, Extendicare helped establish the CaRES Fund in May 2020, alongside Chartwell, Revera and Sienna, to provide financial assistance to dedicated team members across the country.

It’s clear this support for our team members is still needed and must continue. Today, we are pleased to announce we have renewed our investment in the Fund to continue its legacy in 2021. The Fund is now accepting new applications for financial assistance from sector workers experiencing hardship. Applications for the first quarter of funding are open from March 22 to April 9, and future application periods will be announced in the coming months.

To date, more than $2.3 million has been awarded to 679 senior living workers. Here’s what some of that funding has meant for people:

• A staff member from a long-term care home in Alberta has finished her RPN courses, with the help of $4000 in support.
• An employee who temporarily moved out of her family home in order to keep her loved ones safe from COVID-19 received $2700 to support her with the extra bills.
• A staff member whose husband was laid off due to COVID-19 received $9700 to pay her mortgage and phone bill.

While so many families could not be with their loved ones, staff have stood in as the social and emotional support system for seniors over months of isolation. With agonizing restrictions on family visits to meet the most basic level of safety, our teams step up to be all things for so many residents, and work closely with family caregivers to help keep connections as strong — and as safe — as possible.

The CaRES Fund will continue to provide financial support for employees impacted by the pandemic, including personal support workers, health care aides, nurses, dietary aides, and the recreation, environmental, culinary and administrative staff who are working tirelessly to care for residents. In future rounds of the Fund, we will help support employees or their family members to pursue higher education or training.

All senior living sector employees across Canada, regardless of their employer, are eligible to apply. For more information about the fund and the application process, visit seniorlivingcares.ca.

This pandemic will end. When it does, we will continue celebrating the courageous people who have faced the virus head-on, and sacrificed so much to keep their focus on what mattered: Keeping everyone as safe as possible and delivering the best care under the most difficult circumstances faced in modern times.

We owe our thanks and gratitude to the efforts of these care teams, and our work to support them will remain a priority for us both now and in the months and years to come.