This week (June 18, 2025) the CSA Group released a groundbreaking report: Revaluing Personal Support Work in Canada. The findings are stark. The majority of PSWs (Personal Support Workers) — the people who help our parents get out of bed, assist our neighbors manage their meds, support our loved ones bathe and eat with dignity — are struggling. And many are planning to outright quit.
More than 60% of PSWs surveyed said they had either already left or were thinking about leaving the profession in the past two years. That should make every Canadian pause.
Because whether you realize it or not, your life, or the life of someone you love, may depend on them.
Why this matters to you
Our population is aging rapidly. By 2031, all baby boomers will be over 65. At the same time, Canada is already short tens of thousands of PSWs, nurses, and community health workers. The people we count on to help us age in place are leaving just as the demand for their work is about to explode.
The CSA report captures a simple truth: PSWs are burnt out, undervalued, underpaid, and often unsupported. Many are immigrants. Most are women. They do the hardest, most personal work in our health system — and they are treated as invisible.
Meanwhile, clients go without care. Visits are missed. Agencies can’t fill shifts. The consequences are real: vulnerable people left alone, families burn out, hospital beds filled by people who should have had help at home.
The system is failing. But what if we didn’t have to wait to fix it?
At Stay at Home Nursing, we saw these issues firsthand. And over the past 18 months, we’ve been building something different. A new kind of homecare model. One where caregivers aren’t seen as a gig-worker, with cost to be minimized, but a workforce to be empowered.
We call it the Care Unit Model.
Here’s what it looks like:
- Full-time stable employment — no more gig work, no more split shifts.
- Career pathways from part-time or casual PSW, to full time Care Unit member, to Care Unit Lead, to Operational Support in the office or community.
- Mentorship and support baked in.
- Continual training and skills upgrades
- Team-based care so caregivers aren’t alone, and clients see familiar, trusted faces.
- Fewer missed visits because full-time staff with real teams means someone always has your back.
We are not waiting for government policy. We’re piloting Care Units now.
And we believe this is just the beginning.
Learning from others
Canada isn’t alone in facing this challenge. One of the most inspiring international models we’ve studied is the Buurtzorg model in the Netherlands — a nurse-led, team-based approach to homecare that has delivered exceptional outcomes for both clients and staff. Buurtzorg shows what’s possible when caregivers are trusted, supported, and empowered to work as a team. Their model has reduced administrative costs while achieving some of the highest client and staff satisfaction rates in Europe. You can learn more about them here: www.buurtzorg.com
What comes next
We see a future where Home is the foundation of healthcare. Where caregivers have real careers, real respect, and real support. And when that workforce is stable and empowered, it becomes the foundation for something even more powerful: predictive, proactive care.
That’s where our CHAH AI Care platform comes in.
CHAH AI Care adds a layer of real-time monitoring and predictive insight that allows PSWs and care teams to not just respond — but to prevent. Prevent falls before they happen. Catch infections early. Recognize cognitive or mobility decline before it leads to hospitalization.
When you combine a strong workforce with smart technology, the result is better care, faster response, and fewer people falling through the cracks.
You can read more about how CHAH AI Care works here: www.chah.ai/whitepaper
The CSA Group has issued a powerful call to action, and we’re answering it.
If you’re a policymaker, a healthcare leader, a PSW, or someone who cares about the future of care in Canada — we invite you to join us.
Let’s stop waiting. Let’s start building.
Want to read the CSA report? You can find it here: https://www.csagroup.org/article/public-policy/revaluing-personal-support-work-in-canada/
