Commentary: Duckworth, Raimondo: Congress must back the president’s historic investment in home care workers – By Tammy Duckworth and Gina Raimondo (Fortune) / Sept 24 20221
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The COVID-19 crisis has killed more than 600,000 Americans. Perhaps most cruelly of all, elderly Americans and individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities–many of whom live in congregate settings such as nursing homes and intermediate care facilities–have often suffered the worst harms, both in terms of severe illness, and tragically, higher death rates.
We must honor the memories of our lost loved ones by committing to the work of building a national capability of caring for individuals and communities in need. We also owe it to the frontline workers, who provide vital services and risked their own health in the midst of a deadly pandemic, to build a better America that is ready to protect and support its people when confronted with a public health crisis.
For workers like Paralee, an Illinois home care worker who supports people with disabilities in her community, her work is not just a paycheck–it’s a calling. That is why Paralee spent three days in the hospital with a woman, completely unpaid, because this woman was scared to be alone, and her family could not make the trip.
Despite Paralee’s dedication to her patients, our current system too often fails to provide care for older Americans as well as people with disabilities and it fails to fairly compensate Paralee and other dedicated home care workers for the critical work they do.
