The low wages made by home health care workers in New York are leading to shortages of workers, and for some patients, a lack of care.
But those who attended a rally in Schoharie County said that trend needs to be reversed. They called for fair pay for home care.
“The lack of direct home care workforce is crippling our network,” said Becky Preve, executive director of the Association on Aging in New York.
That was the message delivered by a group of home care advocates from eight counties in New York who called for the passage of new state legislation.
“We deserve the help from the government. We deserve the help from our legislature,” Fulton County Office for the Aging Director Andrea Fettinger said.
Group members said the legislation would help provide fair wages to more than 350,000 women in home care, including nearly 290,000 women of color.
“Fifty-seven percent of New York State home care workers are on public assistance and 49% live in or near poverty,” Preve said.
Wages are believed to be the driving force behind the industry’s growing waiting lists and struggle to fill jobs.
In Columbia County, increased wages appear to be solving these issues.
“We’ve provided them with transportation vehicles to go from house to house,” Columbia County Office for the Aging Director Kevin McDonald said. “We pay them for their travel time, and it’s worked. Within three months, our waiting lists disappeared.”
Right now, the Fair Pay for Home Care Act is being considered by the Senate Health Committee, and has bipartisan support. With New York’s 65-years-old and older population increasing, advocates say the time to act is now.
“We know about 70% of older people are going to need home care services at some point in their life, and we’re currently not able to provide the level of service necessary to maintain them in their homes and communities,” Preve said.
