CANADA: Home Instead Senior Care Honoured For Employing 50+ Seniors

TORONTO (Exchange Morning Post), January 22, 2008: Home Instead Senior Care was honoured by The Workplace Institute as a recipient of the Best Employers Awards for 50 Plus Canadians. Home Instead Senior Care, which has 21 locations in Canada, was one of nine organizations at the 3rd Annual Summit for the Mature Workforce at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto. "Home Instead Senior Care was a winner because of excellent practices with its caregivers," said Barb Jaworski, President and Founder of The Workplace Institute. "This includes the training they provide, the flexibility they give their staff, their management practices, and also the fact that they survey their own employees on an annual basis. Our award winners have learned the secrets of how to utilize mature workers to achieve a business advantage, and Home Instead Senior Care is very deserving." The awards, now in their fourth year, recognize and reward innovative and/or effective programs or initiatives within organizations -- from any sector -- that lead the way in best practices with 50 Plus workers, while achieving organizational goals. Awards recognize leaders in such categories as career development, retention, recruitment, health support, benefits and pensions, and best practices in such areas as management, workplace culture, and retirement/retiree. Home Instead Senior Care was in the competition under the categories of recruitment, retention, career development which includes training and skill development, management practices, and retirement/retiree practices. "This is a wonderful honour for Home Instead Senior Care, both for the management of the organization and for our wonderful caregivers who do such great work serving elderly clients across Canada," said Bruce Mahony, who accepted the award on behalf of the organization and who operates Home Instead Senior Care locations in downtown Toronto and the Beach. "Our special training programs for caregivers enhance their skills and honour their compassion for older adults. We also have specific programs that provide training for such conditions as Alzheimer’s, and for hospice and palliative care. Our caregivers make a huge difference in the lives of the people they serve, and I'm delighted that we have received this recognition from such a prestigious organization." The Workplace Institute is a Centre of Excellence for older worker/aging workforce information and customized solutions for an intergenerational workforce. It provides consulting, research development, training and education on the most pressing issues faced by employers and workers. The judging panel for the 2008 Best Employers Award for 50 Plus Canadians represented various sectors and regions, including universities, government agencies. © Copyright 2008/Exchange Morning Post