ESS Support Services (ESS) is an award-winning, not-for-profit community support agency that has been serving marginalised individuals, especially seniors, older adults with disabilities, families and caregivers in the Etobicoke community and beyond since 1983. ESS offers a diverse range of services and accredited programs designed to support the independence, social well-being and health of their clients, along with a helping hand and respite for families and caregivers.
Over the extremely challenging 2020-2021 period, when the risk of COVID was increasing, our in-home respite and assisted living programs continued unabated.
Meanwhile, their former group programs were transformed into virtual offerings. Over 6,700 clients participated in these new offerings. Over 900 activity newsletters and 275 activity kits for seniors, at home and with cognitive challenges, were delivered. To maintain individual connections and understand the changing needs of their clients, 17,272 wellness check-in calls were made.
Though they were only allowed to have one client in our vehicles at any time 1,400 trips to medical and vaccination clinics were provided. When they were not providing rides, their transportation team delivered 23,196 meals, 4,900 food hampers and 734 grocery orders.
ESS also opened a new Seniors Caring Centre offering Adult Day and Overnight Stay programs. Day and overnight respite care were essential to help caregivers and families in lock-down situations.
Funding from the Sheinberg Relief Fund has been utilised by ESS across a wide range of services. It has enabled ESS to deliver Infection Prevention and Control training to staff who provide direct client services on a one-on-one basis through their Assisted Living and Respite Care programs, to provide community food and donation pick-up and delivery support, to upgrade their vehicles to provide safer transportation services for their clients, to develop new virtual programming, and to acquire PPE to keep staff and clients safe.