Supportive measures means ‘compassion’, ‘empathy’: PSW
Thursday, March 24, 2005 Natalie Miller
When a resident recently requested a bubble bath before bed, a personal support worker (PSW) fit it into her schedule.

It wasn’t the resident’s particular bath day but Sue Langdon poured it for her anyway. She had to pick up the pace a bit for the duration of her shift but the gesture meant a lot to the resident, Sue says.

“She had a big smile on her face,” says the Rosebridge Manor employee.

She granted the resident’s special request “because she asked if she could have it and specified she likes bubble baths. I thought, ‘why not. It makes her happy.’”

Afterwards, Sue says, “I just worked a little bit faster that’s all. It really didn’t change my schedule that much. We got it done.”

This month, Rosebridge staff is taking time to recognize the individualized care employees provide that improves residents’ quality of life at the Jasper long-term care home. Rosebridge has designated March as supportive measures month. Supportive measures is an umbrella term used to describe an individualized approach to caring for residents. Supportive measures can be the little things staff members do to improve quality of life – like setting aside a task to have a conversation.

Sue says the definition of supportive measures is far-reaching. “To me, supportive measures encompasses a lot of things,” she says, including “compassion,” “empathy” and “love”. The PSW says supportive measures doesn’t just apply to residents it’s about supporting staff too.