WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, joined fellow senators in introducing the Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act —legislation that is included in Casey’s HCBS Access Act — to support the recruitment, training, and retention of direct care workers and family caregivers.
Joining Casey were senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
“The caregiving crisis in this country corners many Americans into upending their careers and living on poverty wages or performing unpaid caregiving for family members because they have no other options. This is not the way that a great Nation treats its workers and families,” said Casey. “This legislation would ensure that paid caregivers can receive family-sustaining wages and continue to provide essential care to older adults and people with disabilities.”
Low wages and high turnover have long contributed to staffing shortages in the direct care workforce, which provides crucial support to older Americans, people with disabilities, and other Americans with chronic conditions. Direct care workers include home health and personal care aides and certified nursing assistants who provide long-term care services. Family caregivers are individuals who provide at-home assistance — such as help feeding, grooming, or providing transportation — to a family member, partner, or friend. The caregivers providing these life-sustaining services often live in poverty; direct care workers earn a median wage of roughly $14 per hour.
Now, with a growing number of older adults and people with disabilities in the U.S., shortages threaten to impact even more families. Investments in recruitment and retention strategies such as better pay and benefits, education and training enhancements, and better career advancement opportunities can help address the workforce shortage and help more families get the care they need.
