My Homecare story

Thank you SEIU for sponsoring this post.!

Did you know that nearly 90% of home care workers are women, more than 60% are people of color, and 31% are immigrants?
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Home care workers are very important jobs needed in our communities, in which they provide long-term care and assistance for those with such needs without them having to leave the comfort of their own homes. I saw this first hand when my grandmother had a brain aneurysm and was bedridden for years. She couldn’t move nor eat, and she was being fed via a tube. At first, we took it upon ourselves to take care of her after she was discharged from the hospital and her surgery, but over time it was just too difficult without the help and guidance from others. In addition to that, we often had schedule conflicts due to work and other priorities. Luckily for us, we were able to get two home care workers who we relied heavily on, and they took such good care of my grandmother with her day-to-day tasks. They provided assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting, meal preparation, housekeeping, and other activities of daily living. All this, it made me realize just how much work really goes into being a home care worker, and it is definitely a job that requires a lot of patience and time. I was so grateful that we had them there to help, cause the support that they provided was immense. 

We were very lucky to have home care workers by our side throughout the entire journey, but most often than not, working people are forced to leave their paid jobs to provide unpaid care for a family member, friend or other loved one in need. Currently, it is estimated that 53 million Americans provide unpaid care.
Being a home care worker really is no easy task, and despite all the hard work that goes into it, and it being the fastest-growing, in-demand profession, they are still some of the lowest paid in the country. Home care workers deserve to be respected, protected and paid wages that reflect the immense value and effort that goes into their job as it is both very important and essential. Nationally, the median hourly wage for a home care worker is just $12.12, and the median annual wage is just $17,200. 

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represented more than 740,000 home care workers across the country. These workers are uniting to advocate and fight for higher wages and benefits for their profession. They are also speaking out to raise awareness of the rising demand for affordable long-term care. This movement of caregivers is calling on lawmakers to invest in care and care jobs that ensure seniors and people with disabilities have quality, affordable home care.
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Visit CareIsEssential.org to learn more about home care workers – who they are, what they do, and why they are fighting for the respect, protection, and pay they deserve. Click here to show your support for home care workers. 
For more information about SEIU and how to be involved, visit seiu.org.
#MyHomeCareStory #CareIsEssential #CareCantWait #partner