President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to advance affordable caregiving and support workers as the White House sharpens its pitch to voters ahead of an expected re-election announcement. “The actions we are taking today are about dignity, security, working families, caregivers all across the country,” Biden said at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. “And they’re good for the economy, as well.”
A local skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility will pay $50,000 in civil penalties as part of the settlement of a more than 3-year-old civil lawsuit. The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office and the state Department of Justice filed suit against Hearts and Hands Post Acute & Rehab Center in 2019, alleging that the facility “frequently discharged residents who were deemed too difficult,” according to the DOJ. Additional allegations against the facility included failing to provide adequate staffing and having an inordinate amount of emergency calls to the facility, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Experts predict by 2030 older people will actually outnumber children for the first time in American history. Many of these individuals will need support but that could be a problem if the shortages in the direct care workforce are not addressed. “People should be concerned about how this is going to look 20,30,40 years into the future,” Carolyn Marengere, a certified senior advisor, certified placement and referral specialist and owner of Assisted Living Locators in Southgate, in a news release from the Alzheimer’s Association. “It’s an issue now and it’s only going to get worse. We would not be smart to ignore that data, we need to act on it now.”
It wasn’t easy for Chantel Mendez and Tamir Capehart to rearrange their work schedules and trek more than an hour on a recent Tuesday morning to join a protest at the governor’s mansion on behalf of the workers in their fast-growing industry. Mendez, from Bridgeport, and Capehart, from Norwich, are among 11,000 personal care attendants for elderly or disabled clients on Medicaid. As independent contractors, they technically work directly for their clients, part of the vast army of people toiling in home-care for various client groups.
A recent illness and stay in a local hospital’s Critical Care Unit (CCU) served as a stark reminder of how my vulnerability was linked to the excellent health care workers and various professionals at a local hospital. Direct Care Workers (DCWs) often experience not only economic insecurity and vulnerability, but also poor physical, mental, and emotional health due to the demands of their jobs and burnout. The Iowans they serve can become vulnerable when access is hindered by workforce shortages and lack of resources.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced last week that it was awarding $14.2 million in federal funding to long-term care facilities across the state. Of the commonwealth’s 67 counties, 43 will receive funding in order to make improvements in 127 centers total. This includes $773,700 for numerous health centers in Allegheny County. Some of those facilities have started receiving their award letters and funding breakdowns.