The Direct Care News     transparent logo, white type
For direct care workers and their allies
 
April 22, 2014
Greater Houston DCA Members Take Time to Recharge
Carla Washington

"You touch with your heart long before you touch with your hand," said one of the almost 200 participants attending the Care for Elders 17th Annual Direct Care Workers Conference in Houston, Texas, earlier this month. 


Direct care workers came together to recharge, reconnect and remember why the care and services they provide to the elderly and people with disabilities is vital work, provided not only in Houston but by more than 300,000 direct care workers across the state.   

 

Read more from DCA Executive Director Carla Washington. 

Direct from Washington, D.C.
Capitol HIll
Bill Would Create Advanced Roles for Direct Care Workers: On April 10, U.S. Senator Casey (D-PA) and U.S. Representative Cartwright (D-PA) introduced bicameral legislation to improve the quality of health care for older Americans and lower the cost of that care. The Improving Care for Vulnerable Older Citizens through Workforce Advancement Act of 2014 would establish demonstration projects to test models of care that deploy direct care workers in advanced roles. Read DCA's letter of support.

Bipartisan Policy Center Studying Ways to Improve Quality and Efficacy of LTSS. This month, the Bipartisan Policy Center launched a new Long-Term Care Initiative by releasing a white paper outlining challenges in financing and delivering long-term services and supports (LTSS). Later this year, the Initiative will propose policy options to improve the quality and efficacy of LTSS. 
Why Women Earn Less than Men--and What We Can Do About It
Click here for highlights from a tweet chat on why women still earn much less than men and what we can do to change that. About 90 percent of all direct care workers are women. The chat was co-hosted last week by Direct Care Alliance, 9to5 and the National Partnership for Women & Families.
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Direct from the Headlines
DCA's Jessica Brill Ortiz will be one of the participants at a May 8 Capitol Hill briefing on long-term care in Washington, D.C., hosted by OWL--the Voice of Midlife and Older Women.

Direct support workers in Illinois are lobbying for their first raise in seven years.

New York's new budget will increase pay 2 percent for about 100,000 direct care workers. It will be the first raise in several years for many.

Tens of thousands of Washington state home care workers are eagerly awaiting their back pay.

An issue brief from Center for Law and Social Policy looks at the challenges faced by many low-income direct care workers and other parents as they cope with arranging for child care and other difficulties caused by volatile job schedules.

We must pay home care workers enough to support themselves and their families, say Massachusetts State Senator Patricia Jehlen and Home Care Aide Council Executive Director Lisa Gurgone.

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America invites healthcare professionals and community organizations to participate in its new Community Memory Screenings and Awareness-Raising Education.
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 or enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.