Winter Care, Warm Hearts: How PICN Supports Durham Families Through the Holidays
At Partners in Community Nursing (PICN), December in Durham Region means something specific: keeping families together at home, even when winter makes everything harder.
Fresh snow on Whitby streets looks beautiful. But it also means driveways need clearing before nurses arrive. Holiday gatherings feel warm and festive, unless you're managing flu season with a medically fragile child at home.
From Oshawa to Ajax to Pickering, and all the way up through our rural communities like Uxbridge and Beaverton, PICN nurses show up through it all. Because winter doesn’t pause for medical needs. And neither do we.
Care Through Cold and Complexity
December brings two important health observances that connect directly to PICN's work:
December 1st marks World AIDS Day, dedicated to highlighting the impact of HIV and AIDS while recognizing progress in treatment Healthline. December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, promoting rights and well-being of persons with disabilities WHO.
Both days remind us what home care is really about: maintaining dignity, ensuring safety, and providing continuity of care when life gets complicated.
Winter in Durham Region adds real challenges: icy walkways requiring backup plans, flu season overlapping with holiday gatherings, and schedule chaos with school breaks and travel plans all while families still need consistent nursing care.
Winter Prep That Actually Helps
After 27 Durham winters, here's what makes the biggest difference for families managing home care:
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Clear a safe path from street to door, wide enough for nurses carrying equipment
Keep salt handy and house numbers visible
Stock two weeks of essential medications before holiday pharmacy closures
Update emergency contacts if family members travel
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Ensure household members are current on flu shots
Keep hand sanitizer and masks available for visitors
Don't feel guilty limiting holiday visits to protect medically fragile loved ones
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911 for emergencies
Your PICN nurse for care questions
Ontario Health at Home (310-2222) for coordination
When Holidays Aren't Joyful
Not every family celebrates in December. Some are managing palliative care transitions. Some are navigating their first holiday after a life-changing diagnosis. Some are just exhausted.
The cultural expectation of joy can make grief feel heavier. What helps: permission to have quiet, simple holidays, respite support so caregivers can rest, and understanding that sadness is okay even while your loved one is still here.
Life doesn't always go as planned—especially true in December, when everyone else seems to have picture-perfect holidays and you're just trying to get through the day.
The Dignity of Home
This year's International Day of Persons with Disabilities theme is "Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future" WHO.
That resonates with PICN's core belief: people deserve care at home, on their terms, surrounded by what matters to them.
Winter makes home care harder, weather complicates logistics, flu season increases risk, holiday stress tests limits. But it doesn't make home care less important.
As snow falls across Durham this December, PICN nurses will keep showing up - navigating icy driveways in Whitby, bringing pediatric expertise to families in Oshawa, providing overnight support in Ajax so parents can finally sleep.
Because home is where dignity lives. Even in December. Especially in December.
Connect With PICN
For Families:
Need home nursing support this winter? Call 905.665.1711 or toll-free 1.800.564.9534. You can also reach Ontario Health at Home at 310-2222.
For Nurses:
Curious about community nursing? Explore opportunities at picn.ca/careers.
Durham Region Winter Support Resources:
Community Care Durham: In-home respite (communitycaredurham.on.ca)
Ontario Caregiver Organization: 24/7 helpline (ontariocaregiver.ca)
Lakeridge Health: After-hours health questions (lakeridgehealth.on.ca)
As we head into the holidays, thank you to every nurse, family, and caregiver in our PICN community. This December, let's keep showing up for each other, because the best care happens when we face winter together.