Diane Ramirez is a home care attendant and member of United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania. She is from Beaver Falls, PA.
Three and a half years ago, when my brother Dennis needed someone to care for him, I knew that I would have to quit my job to do it. I was making good money at Phoenix Glass, but I couldn’t eat, sleep or function without worrying about my brother, so I walked away from my job to take care of him without any thought of my income.
I became my brother’s attendant through Disability Options Network, and the amount of care he needed greatly increased over time to the point where I take care of him 24/7 and receive pay for 120 hours per week. I would do it without pay though, because Dennis is the other half of my heart. To know Dennis is to love him, he’s touched so many lives.
Home care is important because Dennis would not get the care that he needs–or the independence and dignity that he deserves–in a nursing home. At home, I am with him all the time, our family and friends stop by often to visit and he leads a full and independent life.
We need our representatives in Harrisburg to protect home care funding, and home care jobs need to be good jobs. I want to know that if something were to happen to me, Dennis would be able to find and retain an experienced home care attendant.