Union launches #6minchallenge to highlight how little prep time workers have with elderly

Six minutes into your morning routine, you might still be wiping the sleep from your eyes.

But a union representing Ontario’s 9,000 long-term care workers says that’s the average number of minutes they have to prep residents for each day — not nearly enough time to help people with hearing aids, diapering, changing and clothing.

So was born the six-minute challenge.

Unifor is asking the public to document their attempts to finish an entire morning routine in less than six minutes, resulting in often humorous takes under the #6minchallenge hashtag on various social media platforms.

Though the accumulating photos and videos of family tooth-brushing sessions and half-dressed professionals are light-hearted, union officials say they bring much-needed attention to the demands personal support workers face.

“If you’re 93 years old and you have dentures and you have a hearing aid and you need incontinence products and you don’t like to be rushed in the morning, it makes it really tough,” Ontario NDP Health Critic France Gelinas told CTVNews.ca.