Reducing the injury of community homecare workers

Given that a growing number of elderly people choose to continue living at home, but need some support to live independently, community homecare services are an increasingly important part of our health care system. Recent reports indicate that the community healthcare workers who provide these services have the highest injury rate among all health care professionals in BC. With his postdoctoral research, Dr. Il Hyeok Park aims to reduce the injury rate and the cost of injuries to the health system. Dr. Park is investigating three interventions to reduce injuries: educating community healthcare workers about proper lifting techniques, using a new assessment tool to gauge possible risks at work sites, and providing mechanical lifting equipment. This project should help improve community healthcare workers’ health and the quality of homecare services.