Written by
Why is policy change necessary to improve the plight of the direct caregiver. Robert Espinoza, the Vice President of Policy at The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI) talks with me today about the the reasons behind the present and ever growing shortage of direct caregivers. We discuss:
- low wages
- poor training standards
- no room for advancement
- inadequate supervisory roles
Why should you care about it? Your parents (or yourself) are likely going to require some kind of care at some point. If you can’t afford private pay, you are not going to be able to find someone to care for your parent (or yourself). So who’s going to do it? You or your kids…which potentially means leaving your job. And that opens up another whole can of worms..
Home care is one of the fastest growing occupations in America. With ~50% more workers needed by 2026, these are among the most needed jobs of the future. The problem is the median pay is $10.49/hr. It is going to take policy changes at the state and federal level to fix this. And it’s going to take making our voices heard to affect this change.
Robert and his team at PHI are not just complaining about this. They are working to become part of the solution. They are doing research and consulting with long term care providers to develop large scale, multi-year initiatives to transform home care jobs. And they take part in the public education process. Check out their website for resources you can use to help start a conversation in your community and learn more about their #60caregiverissues. And follow them on Facebook and Twitter
Right click here and save to download this episode to your computer