The Direct Care News     transparent logo, white type
For direct care workers and their allies
 
October 23, 2012

NPR on Causes, Cures for Low Home Care Worker Wages   

By Jennifer Ludden
"Right now, many get no training at all. There's little path to advancement. And with a median wage less than $10 an hour, it's hard to call this a career," says a report on home care worker wages that aired on NPR's All Things Considered on October 16.

Reporter Jennifer Ludden and producer Marisa Pe�aloza joined DCA in Washington, D.C. on the National Day of Action we sponsored last month, where they interviewed DCA board chair Tracy Dudzinski for their report. Read more.
Direct from Washington, DC
Capitol HIllDCA signs on to letter to Congress about U.S. budget plan:  The Direct Care Alliance recently signed on to a letter to Congress urging that any budget plan do the following: protect low-income and vulnerable people; promote job creation to strengthen the economy; increase revenues from fair sources; and seek responsible savings by targeting wasteful spending in the Pentagon and elsewhere. The diverse group of more than 1,900 national, state and local groups who signed on to the letter includes labor and anti-hunger groups, faith-based organizations, housing and homelessness service providers, small businesses and small business organizations, physicians and health groups, and peace groups. Read the letter.

Letter urges Congress to protect low-income families in budget plan:  Under the Budget Control Act of 2011, automatic cuts to federal spending will go into effect January 1, 2013, if Congress has not yet created a plan to reduce the deficit. This so-called sequestration would cut a total of $1.2 trillion over 10 years from defense and non-defense programs such as health, human services, labor, and education. The Eldercare Workforce Alliance, of which DCA is a member, has released an issue brief addressing the ways in which sequestration and the alternatives to it that are being considered would affect services for older adults and the supply of qualified professionals available to care for them.
FPACG Celebrates, Educates Florida Direct Care Workers
Learning to eat without eyesight.
"This was my first time here and I really enjoyed myself. I will be back next year," said CNA Anita Cross of Lake County of the Florida Professional Association for Care Givers' 17th annual convention, which was held on October 16 in Altamonte Springs. Our conference was a great success, drawing direct care workers from 11 counties. The theme was Walk A Mile In My Shoes: the importance of providing person centered care.

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Direct from the Headlines
A Cap Times feature explains how low wages keep direct care workers and many other hard-working Americans in Mitt Romney's 47%.

A SCAN Foundation fact sheet is a good source of information about formal and informal caregivers.

NPR reports on home care workers who are as elderly as their clients.

More on the proposition Michigan will vote on this November that would allow home care aides to bargain collectively and create a worker registry for consumers.
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. 

If you have comments on this issue of The Direct Care News or ideas for future issues, please contact Elise Nakhnikian at 646-823-7434, enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.