By Kurtis Elsner
A lack of volunteer nurses has meant a downtown homeless drop-in centre has had to limit the number of people who can use some of their services.
Every Wednesday, Ottawa Innercity Ministries, a homeless outreach organization, runs a program at St. Paul’s Eastern United Church in the Byward Market. It allows the homeless to come in off the street and receive medical and personal care for an afternoon.
Visitors can get a hot meal, dry clothes, as well as access to haircuts, massages and treatment for their feet.
However, with drop-in numbers reaching as high as nearly 200 a day, not all of the services are accessible to everyone. Many, like the foot clinic, are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis, and some people are turned away because of a lack of staff.
“There is a shortage of all volunteers, but we really want those with medical training,” says Janice Hunt, office manager of the outreach organization. “With a nurse there, we are able to recognize problems and advise [people where to go].”
The services provided are very important for the homeless, says John Paulson, who has lived on the street for the past six months.
“I’d love to be able to change my socks right now,” Paulson says, standing in the pouring rain in the Byward Market. “I haven’t changed my socks in two weeks.”
While the centre does not treat patients, Hunt says they often see “street friends” with serious medical conditions such as diabetes and foot problems.
For the homeless, poor foot conditions can be particularly problematic, says Carolyn Carkner, a nurse and centre volunteer. Conditions like warts and corns are common, but the homeless are also susceptible to a condition known as trench foot. Trench foot, named because of its prevalence during the First World War, is an infection caused when people are constantly wearing wet shoes.
“I think street people walk a lot, and often in inadequate shoes,” she says. “Often people don’t have the right size and the shoes are in really bad shape.”
At the centre, street friends get the opportunity to have their feet soaked and cleaned, as well as have their nails treated if they are in bad shape. Afterwards, they are given dry shoes and socks that are donated by the community, Carkner says.
“We try to ease their feet, and they feel like they can walk a few more miles once they have sat in our chairs.”
Hunt says a lot of people are very willing to donate money, food, and clothing, but few are willing to give their time.
Hunt says there are many reasons people don’t volunteer, but she suspects the main factor is a lack of free time during the day. She says there is already a shortage of nurses in hospitals, so most work full or part-time jobs. Of the three nurses who volunteer, Carkner is the only one who is retired and can help regularly.
Carkner says some nurses may be afraid of getting tangled in legal hassles if an accident were to happen. Although she says she is not too worried about this herself, she knows that there are certain issues that might scare away possible volunteers.
“Not that our street friends would ever come after you, but if you’re a practicing nurse, you don’t want to do anything that can jeopardize your job.”
While legal problems are possible, they are not likely in this situation says Pat McLean, executive director of the Canadian Nurses Protective Society, a non-profit organization that offers nurses protection and advice regarding legal issues.
“When the courts look at liability (in situations like this), the standard of what is expected of you is a little different,” McLean says. “The level of care you could be able to provide is limited,” and the courts view these situations differently than a hospital setting.
Those wishing to volunteer can call 237-6031.