Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on October 27th, 2009 at 1:58 pm | No Comments »
Daniel Escojido
DSP Chronicles Profiles Daniel Escojido
Daniel Escojido, a 26-year-old direct support professional who is the house manager for a group home is Ponca City, Oklahoma, is profiled in the October issue of
The DSP Chronicles. “Is he mature beyond his 26 years? For sure!” says his supervisor in Tom King’s article. “Some people in this field have got it, and some don’t have it. Daniel’s got it.”
He was inspired to join the field by his mother, Maria, who provided in-home supports for the elderly. “I saw and watched and heard how she talked with them, the difference she made in their lives and how she loved them and they loved her and I’ve never forgotten that,” he told the publication.
Boston Globe Honors Evelyn Coke, Calls for “Decent Pay” for Home Care Workers
An editorial in Sunday’s Boston Globe pays tribute to Evelyn Coke and warns that “many thousands of Evelyn Cokes” will soon be added to the workforce — and they must be paid “a decent wage.” Continue reading »
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on September 9th, 2009 at 11:17 am | No Comments »
As every direct care worker advocate knows, personal and home care aides earn far too little for the important work they do. And now an updated version of PHI’s State Chart Book on Wages for Personal and Home Care Aides (PDF) gives advocates a valuable tool, proving that real wages are actually getting worse.
The chart book analyzes data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, adjusting last year’s wages for inflation to see how their earning power compares to average wages in 1999.
Nationwide, these inflation-adjusted rates, which the chartbook calls “real wages,” have decreased by 3 percent over the past nine years, dropping from $7.50 an hour to just $7.31. Real wages increased in more than half the states during that period, but not enough to make up for their decline in the other 21.
Median wages in 2008 ranged from $7.05 an hour in Texas to $12.55 in Alaska in 2008, or real wages of $5.61 to $9.90. “Wages for personal and home care aides are so low,” says PHI Director of Policy Research Dorie Seavey, “that about 20 percent of these workers received a raise on July 24 when the minimum wage increased to $7.25/hour.”
The chartbook also compares wages to federal poverty level wages for a one-person household.
Elise Nakhnikian
Communications Director
Direct Care Alliance
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on September 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pm | No Comments »
The Iowa CareGivers Association (ICA), the Florida Professional Association of Care Givers (FPACG), and the New Mexico Direct Caregivers Coalition are all hosting their annual conferences this fall.
Iowa CareGivers Association
The ICA’s event, Cracking the Caregiver Code, will be held on October 9 in Des Moines. It will feature educational sessions on caregiving topics, like “The Top 10 Things to Know About Autism” and “A Crash Course in Preventing and Managing Conflict,” as well as sessions aimed at honing attendees’ self-care and leadership skills. Attendees can get free bone density, blood pressure, and body mass index screenings, and blood lipids and glucose screenings will be offered for a minimal fee. Continue reading »
Posted by Elise Nakhnikian on June 25th, 2009 at 10:56 am | No Comments »
A full set of DCA Direct Care Fact Sheets, one for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is now available in the Resources section of our website.
The one-page sheets were created as a resource for direct care worker advocates and their allies, legislators, policymakers, members of the media, and others interested in direct care issues. They include key facts such as:
- The number of home health aides, nursing assistants, and personal and home care aides in the state in 2006 and the projected numbers of each in 2016
- The average hourly wage for the state’s direct care workers
- What percentage of direct care workers in that state or region are without health insurance
Elise Nakhnikian
Communications Director
Direct Care Alliance
Posted by Roy Gedat on October 5th, 2007 at 7:37 am | No Comments »
The Florida Association of Nurse Assistants’ 12th annual conference last week was attended by over 150 direct care workers and supporters. The theme of “membership is meaningful in our circle of care” was front and center for this proud group of professional caregivers.
