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Home Care Attendants & Consumers Rally at the Capitol [VIDEO]
Members of the United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania, our consumers and supporters from around the state, traveled to Harrisburg on Tuesday, Jan. 25th to tell legislators that we cannot afford any cuts to home care in this year’s budget.
After the rally, we spread throughout the capitol to meet with legislators and tell them personally why home care is important, effective and cost-efficient.
We know that this will be a difficult year for Governor Corbett and the state legislature to balance the state budget, so we need to stay vocal and let them know that they cannot balance the budget on the backs of seniors, people with disabilities and the attendants who care for them. Make your voice heard today!
Are You Registered for the January 25th Home Care Day of Action?
For the first time ever, attendants have a real voice in changing the home care system. Join us to meet the newly-elected officials and relay the message that home care is not a place they should even consider cutting services.
Register to join the January 25th Home Care Day of Action here.
Home care costs 1/3 of what it costs to support people in nursing homes, so investments in home care can be an important part of reducing Pennsylvania’s deficit. But in order for home care to be sustainable, we need to make sure home care jobs are good jobs that caregivers can afford to keep.
Home Care Attendant Voices: Diane Ramirez
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.
Rounding Up an Exciting Year & Getting Ready to Move Forward in 2011
2010 has been a monumental year for home care workers in Pennsylvania! This fall, over 4,000 home care workers in PA decided to stop being invisible and form our union to stand up for ourselves, our families and our consumers.
In December, attendant leaders got together across the state to meet one another, share our stories, and plan to make our united voices heard as we stand up to protect home care services in this year’s budget process. It’s going to be a tough one, so we need to be prepared and get active fast!
Attendants met all across the state, in places like Reading, Allentown, Philadelphia, Belle Vernon, Williamsport, Harrisburg, Erie and New Castle. It was so exciting to see everyone and we were happy to have to find extra chairs to seat everybody who came. Following these amazing meet-and-greets, here’s what a few attendees had to say.
Mabel Harris, Cogan Station:
“It was great to meet other attendants because we don’t usually have that opportunity. Some attendants are out of work now, so we are all excited about working together in our union to create some kind of registry to make it easier for consumers who need care to find attendants who need work. Right now there is no way to do that.
“The more people we get to Harrisburg on January 25th, the stronger we’ll be. It’s important that attendants make that trip so we can be heard!”
Cathy Mayernik, Sinking Spring:
“The Reading meeting was at my house and it went well. We got a chance to meet each other, which is important because home care attendants work alone and we don’t usually get to know each other. We shared stories and learned that we have similar needs–benefits and a living wage–so we can keep doing this work and provide more hours of care for our consumers.”
Lamont Thompson, Philadelphia:
“I’ve been part of a union before so I understand what it means to have a strong voice by uniting with each other. I look forward to working with other attendants in our union to make improvements for our consumers and ourselves.
“It’s really important for every home care worker to get involved with the state budget. It’s going to affect all of us, so we need to make our voice heard. We need our consumers to speak up too–because together we have strength in politics.”
What’s Next in 2011
Despite the fact that home care preserves the dignity and independence of thousands of Pennsylvanians and saves taxpayers money over costly nursing home care, politicians are talking about making cuts to our programs.
We can’t afford to sit back and be silent on this issue. To make our voices heard by our Governor and legislature to fund home and community services, we’ve decided on two important actions.
First, we are gathering thousands of signatures—both on the ground and on the Internet–on our “Declaration of Independence” to show everyone what we stand for.
Second, we’re going to deliver our signed Declarations to decision makers in Harrisburg on January 25th so they can see for themselves just how much public support there is to protect the vital services that attendants provide to seniors and people with disabilities in Pennsylvania. If you’re going to be in the area, you will definitely want to be there! We’ll have transportation from around the state. Sign up here to reserve your spot and get more details!
If you haven’t already, add your name to the our Declaration of Independence.
Download the Declaration of Independence here.
Hitting the Road for a Better Life: Meet Daniel and Yeremiah
The road to a brighter future is one we can make ourselves. Just ask the group of home care attendants, consumers and advocates who traveled across the state of Pennsylvania last month to raise awareness and support for their mission to create a system of long term care that emphasizes quality home care.
Two such Independence Riders are Daniel Cucio and Yeremiah Hardt, who’ve have been side by side since they first met at a LGBT Equality Forum barbecue in 2003. Circumstance brought them together, but a deep bond that formed has kept them together ever since. When Yeremiah was just a child, he fell into his family’s frozen pool and was trapped under ice for more than 20 minutes. After spending five months in a coma, he finally woke, barely able to talk and with brain impairments. “At first, I started noticing some things ‘weren’t right’ with him,” said Daniel, “but I had no idea the extent of what he was dealing with.”
Daniel and Yeremiah found help through Liberty Resources and started hiring personal care attendants. Over two years, four attendants came and went. “We couldn’t find quality help,” Daniel recalls. “The money’s low, like $9 per hour. There are no benefits.” Constant concern over Yeremiah’s welfare caused Daniel to quit his job as a counselor and become his full-time attendant three years ago. “Yeremiah not only needs the traditional type of care, he also needs his mind to be stimulated constantly or it stops functioning the way it should. I give both mental and physical care.”
While fulfilling, the work of a caregiver can also be tough. “I get paid by the hour. Period. I can’t take a vacation even when I need a break. I can’t get any back up. Our consumers need us and we need our consumers. We need our interdependence to be a thing that lifts us both up, not drags us both down,” said Daniel. “That’s why I am becoming part of the attendants’ union.”
By sharing their story, Pennsylvania consumers and attendants like Daniel and Yeremiah strive to awareness to others about their lives and shared struggle for dignity and independence. “The amount of humility Yeremiah teaches me every day is incredible,” says Daniel. “Every day I go to bed I vow to give Yeremiah a wonderful day. But every day is different – I can’t predict what tomorrow will bring.”
Stay tuned for ways to help as home care workers and consumers strive together to make a better life for themselves. Visit http://pahomecareworkers.org and ‘like’ us on Facebook.
Independence Ride for Quality Home Care Comes to Philadelphia
Today we made it to Philadelphia on our month-long Independence Ride to speak out about the need for quality home care in Pennsylvania.
Independence Riders signed a Declaration of Independence which included a pledge to rebalance the health care system in Pennsylvania “from one centered on nursing homes to one centered on people’s homes and developing a qualified, retainable workforce to support community living.”
A majority of Pennsylvanians want to remain at home and receive care in their communities, yet around 82 percent of funding goes to nursing homes and other institutions while only 18 percent is directed to home care, despite that fact that it costs the Commonwealth about one-third as much to provide home care services as it does to provide care in a traditional nursing home facility.
“If our lives had not intertwined, the brotherhood we now share would be nonexistent,” said Daniel Curcio of himself and his consumer Yeremiah Hardt, whose childhood drowning accident left him in need of almost constant care. “Yeremiah’s independence would have collapsed, and the joy I have seeing him meet his daily steps, weekly objectives, and long-term goals would be crushed. For Yeremiah and others like him, it is about choice and maintaining the power of having a skilled and knowledgeable home care worker.”
“We are here today to let our newly-elected leaders in Harrisburg and across the state know that we are strong and united in our movement to defend and improve quality home care in Pennsylvania,” said home care attendant Joan Campbell.
This is the first large-scale organizing effort by home care workers in Pennsylvania and is happening with the support of the Consumer Workforce Council, a consumer-employer organization. Currently, home care attendants, who are paid on average $9.10 an hour, do not have health insurance benefits, despite being caregivers themselves. They also receive no sick days or vacation time.
With turnover rates as high as 100 percent, there is an estimated shortage of 10,000 home care workers in the state. Many consumers struggle to keep caregivers on the job, as attendants leave their positions every year for jobs with benefits or higher compensation.
Independence is essential: PA home care workers strive for quality care
Joseph Pepe has lived with a progressive muscle disease since childhood, but has always been independent and active in his Pennsylvania community. To maintain that independence, Pepe requires in-home care. “My problems are multifaceted,” says Pepe. “I really need assistance with everything I do.”
For the last six years, that assistance has come from home care attendant Brenda McFadden. Her hard work helps enable Pepe to live at home, make choices about his care, and maintain his independence.
However, like most home care workers, McFadden has no health insurance. “To go without health care insurance — that’s not fair to us or our consumers,” says McFadden. “If I’m sick, I can’t care for Joe. He depends on me to stay healthy because there’s no alternative if I get sick.”
The Current State of Home Care in PA
Home care attendants in Pennsylvania are paid an average of $9.10 an hour with no benefits. As a result, turnover rates among attendants can be as high as 100%, and there is a statewide shortage of 10,000 workers that will grow dramatically as the aging population expands.
By 2020, almost 20 percent of Pennsylvanians will be over 65, and the over-85 population will have increased by 52 percent. While over 90 percent of Pennsylvanians have said that they want long term care in their own homes and communities, according to a recent survey from the state’s Office on Long-Term Living, over 80 percent of Pennsylvania’s long term care dollars are spent in nursing homes.
Pennsylvania’s seniors aren’t the only ones at risk to lose their independence. People with disabilities in the state have long fought to maintain their independence and stay at home, in their communities, with quality home care. “Our home care crisis is real,” says Kathleen Kleinman, CEO of Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living. “We have the right to direct our own care and come up with our own solutions. We are people, not patients. We need a new approach to building the reliable and retainable workforce we need.”
Fighting Together for the Consumer Workforce Council
By joining together for the first time in United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania, thousands of workers across the state are taking a stand for the needs of home care attendants and consumers. By creating a stable, retainable workforce providing quality care in the manner consumers choose, United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania are ensuring a better future for healthcare in Pennsylvania.
What You Can Do to Help Home Care Workers’ Voices Be Heard
As home care attendants continue to work together to gain a stronger voice, we hope others will get on the bandwagon to support them. To show your solidarity and support online, please
Home care advocates: “This message needs to be carried to the state capitol.”
In Washington, PA, on Friday, Independence Riders and advocates held a rally outside the office of the Tri County Patriots for Independent Living (TRIPIL), an organization that advocates for the civil rights and freedom of people with disabilities. At the event, TRIPIL Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Kleinmann spoke about raising awareness of the need for quality home care in Pennsylvania:
“We support the efforts of consumer employers to advocate for better wages and benefits for their attendants. As home care attendants and consumers travel across the state on the Independence Ride, we hope others will get on the bandwagon to support them. This message needs to be carried to the state capitol.”
Carrying their message is exactly what the dozens of in-home caregivers, consumers, and advocates who’ve have embarked on this a month-long tour of the state intend to keep doing. Independence Riders signed a Declaration of Independence which included a pledge to rebalance the health care system in Pennsylvania “from one centered on nursing homes to one centered on people’s homes,” and developing a “qualified, retainable workforce to support community living.”
Independence riders have been on the road for two weeks, making stops in Harrisburg, Erie, New Castle and Washington so far on their way to the Capitol. Watch video from last Friday’s event in Erie below:
A majority of Pennsylvanians want the choice to receive care in their homes and communities, instead of nursing homes or institutions. Unfortunately, 82 percent of the money spent on long term care goes to nursing homes, while only 18 percent is spent on home care.
Home care is cost-effective. It costs the Commonwealth about one-third as much to provide home care services as it does to provide care in a traditional nursing home facility. Home care allows consumers to maintain a measure of independence and dignity that institutional care does not afford. Independence Ride supporters are committed to creating a system that best serves the needs of all Pennsylvanians by emphasizing quality home care.
VIDEO: What We’re Fighting For
In their own words, home care workers from across the state of Pennsylvania share why they’re organizing to earn a living wage and get the respect they need.
Watch:
Voices of PA home care workers heard ’round the state; Internet
Wednesday was, by all accounts, an amazing day for the United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania. Why? Because they were heard loud and clear by the community they live and work in, and simultaneously, all over the Internet.
Home care workers stop in New Castle, PA to advocate for quality home care
Dozens of home care workers, consumers, and advocates rallied in support of the Independence Ride, a month-long tour of the state highlighting the need for quality home care in Pennsylvania. Members of the Disability Options Network joined the crowd in Riverwalk Memorial Park in New Castle. Theresa Work, a home care attendant for more than three years said, “Our consumers respect us for the work we do, and they’re ready help us gain the dignity we deserve.”
How much does it cost to get dignity?
For that we have to take a closer look at where home care workers in PA stand now: The median income for a home care worker in Pennsylvania is $9.25 an hour. They don’t have health insurance, they don’t have a pension, they almost never get a day off. They sometimes work 24 hours in a day.
And here’s the biggest irony – even with all the care they provide to others, they cannot afford a sick day themselves. Most of the workers need a second or third job just to put food on the table. So, how much does it cost to get dignity?
Dignity here is about a living wage, affordable insurance, concrete hours of service — and a sick day or two might help. How about spending a holiday with their own families? All the basic benefits that many working people take for granted, these hard working dedicated people want too. And they deserve it.
The only way, it seems, they will win their dignity is by joining together to tell their story. This is not the easiest thing in the world to do. Home care workers don’t go to their jobs in one central location, like an office or a factory. In fact, many rarely, if ever, see their colleagues doing the same work. So, through the use of the Internet and the Independence Ride, we’ve been able to make hundreds of phone calls and send countless emails to raise awareness — and it’s working.
The fight is on and it’s a fight that will be won. With the solidarity of unions, activists and progressives who use the Internet — together we will get workers, like Teresa, heard loud and clear.