'A very trying time': Burnout growing among social workers amid COVID-19, opioid epidemic
There's growing burnout among social workers and front-line outreach workers in the region as the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic continue to take a toll.
"It's a very trying time for many people," said Ruth Cameron, executive director of the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA).
Over the past year and a half, the number of overdoses and overdose-related deaths has skyrocketed.
"When you have to try to reverse an overdose, who is not just a client to you, is not just a number, but someone you know, it's going to have an impact," Cameron said.
Those on the front lines said they build trust and friendships with the people they help, making the losses traumatic.
"These are people that matter. They are people in our community, they are people we know, develop relationships with, we know their struggles and celebrate their triumphs," said Simon Morrision with Sanguen Health Centre. "It's difficult."
The growing number of people needing help and the feeling of fighting a losing battle is contributing to the deteriorating mental health of front-line workers.
"Watching our loved ones pass away, watching them struggle, watching our services not meet their needs, it can be exhausting and really traumatic," Morrision said.
"The weight of that and the grief of that is on the shoulders of the helping professions," said Rachelle Deveraux, chief executive officer of the Guelph Community Health Centre.
A limited amount of data has been collected on the number of staff experiencing burnout and leaving the industry, but many say the problem is real and could lead to very real consequences.
"The inability to sleep, shifts in mood, inability to get out of bed," Deveraux said. "It leads to the inability to get people care in good time and meet their demands."
When it comes to solutions, those in the sector say self-care is paramount.
"Really enabling space for staff to take care of themselves, giving staff more ability to take time off," Deveraux said.
She's also calling for increased mental health supports and paid sick leave in a sector exposed to emotional trauma.
"Those things will act as protection to keeping our staff well and keeping them in the workforce," Deveraux said.
"The reservoir is only so big, regardless of the care work you do there is going to be a toll," Cameron said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Child labour remains an increasing source of Canada’s everyday products: NGO
Many Canadians remain unaware of the involvement of forced child labour in the products they buy, according to non-profit agency World Vision Canada.

Protesters at U.S. Supreme Court decry abortion ruling overturning Roe v. Wade
Hundreds of protesters descended on the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday to denounce the justice's decision to overturn the half-century-old Roe v. Wade precedent that recognized women's constitutional right to abortion.
'I landed in a safe haven': Uganda refugees celebrate LGBTQ2S+ community for first time
As Pride festivities kick off around the world, many refugees are celebrating the LGBTQ2S+ community for the first time.
Commonwealth falls short of condemning Russia as Trudeau prepares for G7
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau headed to the G7 summit in Germany on Saturday without a consensus from the Commonwealth to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but with a chorus of countries calling for help to overcome the fallout of the war.
WHO panel: Monkeypox not a global emergency 'at this stage'
The World Health Organization said the escalating monkeypox outbreak in nearly 50 countries should be closely monitored but does not warrant being declared a global health emergency.
Tear gas used to disperse protesters outside Arizona Capitol building, officials say
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, holding that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion, protesters and supporters of the ruling gathered at the high court's building in Washington, D.C., and in other cities nationwide.
Conservative MPs free to attend 'freedom' protests this summer: Bergen
With the nation's capital bracing for anticipated anti-mandate 'freedom' movement protests during Canada Day weekend, interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen says her MPs are free to attend.
Vancouver's English Bay Barge still hasn't budged
A barge that ran aground near Vancouver's English Bay last year quickly became an accidental attraction, drawing selfie-seekers and inspiring T-shirt designs. But after seven months, residents seem to have grown weary of its hulking presence on the shoreline.
With war, Kyiv pride parade becomes a peace march in Warsaw
Ukraine's largest LGBTQ rights event, KyivPride, is going ahead on Saturday. But not on its native streets and not as a celebration.