Licensed Practical Nurse, Rosedale Partnerships Local 047 Chapter 055
Strength, dedication, expertise, and compassion: you feel all of it when Kaira Camiwet explains her commitment to residents at Rosedale Partnerships in Edmonton.
“You build a relationship with them,” says Camiwet, a licensed practical nurse. “They know you and you know them for years. They see us more often than their own loved ones.”
Camiwet began her healthcare career at home in the Philippines and started working at Rosedale after moving to Canada in 2010. Camiwet even met her husband at Rosedale, who was working as a housekeeping aid at the time.
She assists residents in every aspect of their lives, such as helping them clean, get dressed, and take their medications, often visiting every hour to make sure they are taken care of. Of course, the pandemic introduced new, severe challenges for Camiwet and her colleagues.
“I am one of the first who got sick with COVID, back when we didn’t have vaccines,” she says. “It was so exhausting, so many of us got sick. And it was heartbreaking; we lost residents because of COVID.”
However, Camiwet believes improving Rosedale’s working conditions with a new collective agreement could help prevent staff burnout and COVID outbreaks in the future.
The workers at Rosedale have been bargaining for a first contract since 2019. Camiwet says she and her colleagues are committed to better conditions for themselves and the residents they care for.
“It’s all about quality care,” she says. “We can make things better with a union contract. I am proud of what we have done so far, and I would encourage all members to be active and participate in their union.”