On August 1, 2010, the New Mexico Caregiver Coalition hosted a multi-stakeholder meeting with the Direct Care Alliance. Leonila Vega, DCA’s Executive Director, met with employers, advocates, staff and New Mexico Caregiver Coalition members. We learned a lot about national trends, workforce development and policy objectives of DCA.
For us, it was an opportunity to share updates on our local work with DCA, the national advocacy voice for workers in long-term care. We discussed the needs of New Mexicans to reform our long-term care system and address the needs of workers in this state. Trends show that New Mexico has and continues to attract many retirees and that the demand for direct care continues to increase. The New Mexico Caregiver Coalition is the leading voice to develop and support caregivers so our elders have a well-trained, ample, qualified caregiver workforce to meet their needs. Continue reading »
On Saturday, July 17, the Direct Care Alliance held a Voices Institute Leadership Training Workshop in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, which I led with Brenda Nachtway. Eight direct care workers attended the workshop that included leadership self-assessment and modules on personal power, membership recruitment and building relationships with allies. The attendees were especially inspired to hear that the Direct Care Empowerment Act was about to be introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives and they practiced visiting with allies to gain support for the bill. On completion of the workshop, five participants – Clara Glenn, Margaret Beringer, Rolanda Crawley, Soon Hong and Noel Mendes – formed a Leadership Circle and are working together to build a chapter of the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association in the Philadelphia region. Continue reading »
I recently visited PACT in Austin, Texas, and sat down for a video interview with Elizabeth Castillo. PACT was created by ADAPT, the national organization that advocates for the right of people living with disabilities to live independently in the community. Our video interview was recorded in Spanish, so I’ve provided a summary below. It was such a pleasure hearing about what inspires Elizabeth to do the work she loves. Continue reading »
I recently joined the Direct Care Alliance in Washington, DC, to advocate on behalf of direct care workers on Capitol Hill.
The congressional visits were to gain support for the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act, which was introduced in the House by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and in the Senate by Bob Casey (D-PA). These bills would change the classification of home care workers, removing the “companion” language from the Fair Labor Standards Act. It would ensure minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers; establish data collection and reporting requirements; and improve the recruitment and retention of direct care workers.
I met with Maine’s Congressional Delegation to inform my representatives about the need for the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act and ask for their support. I visited with Senator Collins, Congresswoman Pingree, and Congressman Michaud. Both representatives had signed on to the Sanchez/DCA letter from last year, asking the Department of Labor to address the FLSA issue. I thanked both for their support and for their health care reform votes.
It was so exciting to hear that both Reps. Pingree and Michaud became cosponsors of the bill.
Dr. Vera Salter, Direct Care Alliance; Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Yesterday, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) hosted a Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing in Wilkes-Barre, where he announced his intention to introduce the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act (House version introduced last week by Rep. Linda Sanchez).
The hearing – Taking care of Mom and Dad: Why We Need a Quality Workforce to Serve Our Older Americans – addressed the growing need for quality medical personnel to take care of a growing aging population. I was invited to deliver testimony, along with Continue reading »
As we all enjoy the last few weeks of summer it is hard to remember the very beginning of this year. Think back: what were we all looking forward too? Warmer weather, right? Well we all got what we wanted…hot, muggy warmer weather! Are we all happy now? No – now we are to hot and are looking forward to cooler weather again. I’m looking forward to the fall for more than just cooler temperatures – it’s time for the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association conference! It’s time to get out your favorite sweater, plan a day trip to Valley Forge and treat yourself to an exciting and inspiring conference that will reinvigorate your passion for direct care work.
On September 16, 2010, The Sky’s The Limit at the National Christian Conference Center – a beautiful, peaceful and restful location that will have you feeling like you have stepped back in time. Continue reading »
People know me as a direct care worker – a C.N.A. working as a personal care assistant in Maine’s home-based care system. But now I want to be known as an elected official. I am running for Maine’s House of Representatives from House District 55. That includes the towns of Albion, Benton (part), China and the unorganized territory of Unity Plantation.
I am running because I want to keep the work on streamlining Maine’s home-based care system moving forward. I am also running because I am a direct care worker who deals with the problems and pitfalls of our work each and every day.
I know what it is like to live off low wages, have no health benefits, have no safety net whatsoever, and support a family. I’m very thankful that my husband has a job that provides our health coverage, has a better wage than mine, and has paid overtime when he works over time. If my husband’s job did not provide those things, I would not be working as a PCA, providing essential care to a lady that is paralyzed and living in her home. I’d be just another of those horrible direct care workforce statistics, a skilled worker who had to leave because she could not make it on her low wages.
How did I get involved in politics, you ask? I trace it back to the Direct Care Alliance, a wonderful national organization that is working hard improve working conditions for direct care workers. Continue reading »
It is with a sad heart that we write these words about Joyce Gagnon, a founder of the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association and one of the most tireless and committed direct care leaders we’ve ever known. Joyce passed away on June 14, 2010, after a long bout with cancer.
Joyce was a strong and tenacious advocate for direct care workers in Maine. She worked tirelessly building the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association (PASA), Maine’s association for direct care workers of all kinds. Joyce worked on PASA’s annual conventions, lobbying at the State House, PASA’s fundraising and membership recruitment. Her hard work and sacrifice made it possible for DCA to develop a powerful model for state-based worker associations and worker-led advocacy.
Just this past year, Joyce was an active member of the Direct Care Worker Taskforce, a group set up through Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services to address many of the problems the workforce faces.
Joyce also had and hand in crafting legislation, twice, trying to bring health insurance to Maine’s direct care workers. She met and talked with many leaders in the Maine Legislature about what it is like to be a caregiver, helping someone maintain their independence in their home, and not have health coverage themselves through their work. Continue reading »
On June 15, 2010, I was fortunate to be able to travel to Capitol Hill again. I was part of a delegation from Wisconsin who visited with Senator Herb Kohl’s office. There were six of us (see photo below), including myself, Susan Rosa (a family caregiver), Tracy Schroepfer (a geriatric social worker), Sharon Roth Maguire (a geriatric nurse practitioner), and Dr. Paul Drinka and Dr. Michael Malone (geriatricians). We were brought together by the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA), founded by Leonila Vega of the Direct Care Alliance and others.
During the visit with Senator Kohl, I explained the importance of the direct care worker training program that was established as part of health care reform and asked that he fight to get money appropriated. I also advocated for training programs for workers. As a supportive home care agency, we have a hard time finding qualified workers. We actually hired a certified nursing assistant who had never given a bath – which we didn’t know before hiring her. We need better training because the specialized needs of consumers are increasing as people live longer.
Senator Kohl seemed surprised to learn that dog groomers and hair stylists have more training than direct care workers. I think that is unacceptable when we are dealing with people’s lives. Continue reading »
According to the Register, “Iowa has one of the highest rates in the country of admissions to nursing facilities. Going forward, more and more Iowans will want to live in their own homes as long as they can. This state must do more to help people do that successfully – with help from paid professionals and family and friends who volunteer.” “If you hire someone to cut your hair or massage your back, the state licenses the worker, who must have minimum training. But if you hire someone to go to your mother’s house to fix her meals or bathe her, the person may not even be known to the state, let alone have any experience or training.”
Last week, the Iowa Caregivers Association and the Iowa Department of Public Health weighed in, joining the call for more support. President of the Iowa Caregivers Association, Betty Grandquist, wrote, “Each of us is one accident or illness away from a disability. Each of us is aging. We need to ask the basic questions: Who will care for us? Will there be enough qualified workers to provide that care? What quality of care will we receive? People who do [direct care] work are typically referred to as “family” by those they serve. Their work is often called “priceless.” Yet it is greatly undervalued by society as a whole. Continue reading »
