Direct Care News: DCA/NELP editorial urges support for home care workers

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For direct care workers and their allies

February 28, 2012

DCA/NELP Editorial Urges Support for Home Care Workers

An editorial by DCA Director of Policy and Planning David Ward and National Employment Law Project Executive Director Christine Owens debunks myths being spread by the for-profit national home care corporations that are leading the fight against the U.S. Department of Labor's proposed home care rule. The editorial, titled Care Work in America: Expected but not respected, was published yesterday in The Hill's Congress Blog.

Direct from Washington, DC

Capitol HIll

Inside Health Care Reform: An online guide from AARP helps individuals and families make sense of the Affordable Care Act. The guide offers a customized report on how the law benefits you, including information about state-specific programs and resources for people who are uninsured or who are having difficulty finding coverage. Download it in English or Spanish.

Supreme Court ruling protects low-income individuals: Last week's U.S. Supreme Court decision on Douglas v. Independent Living Center of Southern California reinforced the rights of low-income individuals who rely on Medicaid coverage for prescription medications, hospital care, and other medical services. The court ruled that they may sue states that enact laws that pass limit their access to care. Read more.

A Daughter's Plea for More CNAs in Nursing Homes

In the fall of 2002, my mother, who has muscular dystrophy, lost the use of her legs. I had been taking an adult education course in accounting, but I quit to take care of her at home.

Last year, my mother fell. After she got out of the hospital and rehab facility, she needed more care than I could give her, so I put her in a nursing home. I couldn't care for her now if I wanted to: I'm not young any more, and I have a bad back and arthritis in my hands. But seeing her in the nursing home can be much harder on me emotionally than taking care of her ever was. Read more from Sheila Caldwell.

Quick Links

Direct from the Headlines

CNAs talk about their work in Reflections of a CNA, a six-and-a-half-minute video produced by the Alamo Area Council of Governments in Texas.

Low wages, poor benefits, and too few opportunities for training or advancement contribute to an annual turnover rate of about 50% among Washington state's home care workers, according to an SEIU Healthcare 775NW report.

The fifth annual statewide Caring for Our Elders conference will be held on February 29 and March 1 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Download the brochure and registration form.

The Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care. We empower workers to speak out for better wages, benefits, respect, and working conditions, so more people can commit to direct care as a career. We also convene powerful allies nationwide to build consensus for change.

Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Please contact Elise Nakhnikian at 646-823-7434 or enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.