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	<title>News and Opinions « Direct Care Alliance &#187; Vicki Erickson</title>
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	<description>What direct care worker advocates are thinking, saying and doing</description>
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		<title>[Not] Raising a Child on Direct Care Wages: How I reunited with my son after 20 years</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2010/06/not-raising-a-child-on-direct-care-wages-how-i-reunited-with-my-son-after-20-years/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2010/06/not-raising-a-child-on-direct-care-wages-how-i-reunited-with-my-son-after-20-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:56:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Direct care workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wages and benefits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adoption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[direct care wage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[raising a child]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reunite mom son]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=2813</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It was 1989 when I found out I was pregnant. As a direct care worker in the eighties, I made even less than most DCWs make these days.  I knew I couldn’t raise a baby on the wages I was making – a mere $250 every two weeks.  As so many of my colleagues have [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>16</slash:comments>
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		<title>Courageous Acts: Finding inspiration in direct care work</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2010/05/courageous-acts-finding-inspiration-in-direct-care-work/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2010/05/courageous-acts-finding-inspiration-in-direct-care-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 13 May 2010 14:57:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[as leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct care workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voices Institute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reflection]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=2792</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am one of the original 24 direct care workers selected from around the country to participate in the inaugural class of Voices Institute in 2008 . I am very proud to be a graduate of the very 1st Voices Institute. One of the many things that has stuck with me is when we talked [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Let’s Make Sure Our New Colleagues Get Orientation – For Everyone’s Sake</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-make-sure-our-new-colleagues-get-orientation-%e2%80%93-for-everyone%e2%80%99s-sake/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/08/let%e2%80%99s-make-sure-our-new-colleagues-get-orientation-%e2%80%93-for-everyone%e2%80%99s-sake/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:02:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[as leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[training and education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turnover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[workloads]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=1456</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the main reasons so many nursing assistants leave every year is that they don’t get enough orientation when they’re new to the job. I know because I had good mentors who trained me well, and now I’m working as a CNA mentor myself. In my six years as a mentor, I’ve seen what [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>An Inside Look at the Voices Institute National Training</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/04/an-inside-look-at-the-voices-institute-national-training/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/04/an-inside-look-at-the-voices-institute-national-training/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:45:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[as leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DCW associations/coalitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iowa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legislation and regulation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[training and education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voices Institute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisconsin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=702</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hello, fellow direct care workers. Helping to plan the DCA&#8217;s Voices Institute National Leadership Training this year is making me think about last year&#8217;s training. I want to tell you what that was like, in case you&#8217;re thinking of joining us this year. Last year&#8217;s training was at the Dekoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin &#8211; the same [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>The On-the-Job Injury that Almost Cost Me My Career</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/03/the-on-the-job-injury-that-almost-cost-me-my-career/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/03/the-on-the-job-injury-that-almost-cost-me-my-career/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 01:17:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[on-the-job injuries]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=514</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since we direct care workers have the highest rate of on-the-job injuries of any profession, I guess it&#8217;s not surprising that I&#8217;ve had several in my 24 years on the job. Not all were bad enough to result in a worker&#8217;s compensation claim, but the latest one almost cost me my career. On January 1, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>The Voices Institute is Looking for a Few Good Women – and Men</title>
		<link>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/02/the-voices-institute-is-looking-for-a-few-good-women-%e2%80%93-and-men/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.directcarealliance.org/2009/02/the-voices-institute-is-looking-for-a-few-good-women-%e2%80%93-and-men/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Vicki Erickson</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[as leaders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Voices Institute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisconsin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iowa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wisconsin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.directcarealliance.org/?p=175</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have been a direct care worker for the past 24 years. Since last November, I’ve also been the Direct Care Alliance’s newest direct care worker specialist. In my work for the DCA, I’ve been contacting state associations to find out how many have a leadership council. When I find one that does, I ask [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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