This year, we’re focusing on building a better future for home care. SEIU-UHW members have had thousands of conversations about how to improve the home care system. Also, more than 30,000 in-home caregivers participated in an teleconference town hall hosted by SEIU-UHW and United Long Term Care Workers (ULTCW) on December 19 to discuss our ideas and vote on our priorities. Here are the five recommendations that members came up with about how to improve the home care system:
1. Stable Funding
The State of California must provide stable and adequate funding for quality home care services that allows IHSS consumers to live at home with dignity and security.
“This would ensure that services remain intact and client’s needs continue to be met and the disabled population in our society is not forgotten.”
Bonnie Newman, Calaveras County
2. Home care as Part of the Healthcare System
Based on best practices, the in-home caregiver must be integrated into the consumers’ health care team.
”Being part of the care of my wife is a must because I am the one who takes care of any issues and the only one who understands and controls her medication. We have to work as a team for the well-being of my wife.”
Reynaldo Valdez, Fresno County
3. Improved Assessments
The IHSS program must be better managed to provide accurate, consistent and respectful consumer assessments.
“Improving consumer assessments would show the importance and seriousness of home care. Providing more accurate, assistant and respectful assessment, our clients won’t be regarded as another case, but as the actual people they are.”
Bill Lor, Sacramento County
4. Training for Caregivers
In-home caregivers must be respected and recognized for the quality care we provide and receive the training we need to keep ourselves and our consumers safe and healthy.
“If we can receive effective and professional training, we can help consumers to be healthier and safely live at home and in their community.”
Fuk Sang Lee, San Francisco County
5. Stronger, Unified, Statewide Contract
In order to ensure workforce stability, in-home caregivers must receive the compensation we deserve. When we can fight alongside every caregiver in the state, we will have more power to win a contract that includes good wages, health care, training and benefits that other caregivers receive, such as paid sick time, vacation time and retirement security.
“By working together we can raise the standards and wages of home care workers. We only want what’s fair.”
Rosalia Rodriguez, Yolo County
During the teleconference town hall the 30,000 members on the line were asked a number of poll questions. Here’s what we said:
What would be most helpful to ensure that home care consumers are getting all the quality care they need?
- 9% – Training for caregivers
- 11% – Sufficient medical supplies
- 61% – More hours with caregivers
- 9% – Better funding
What would you say is the number one priority for you?
- 23% A raise
- 24% Healthcare insurance
- 39% More work hours
- 14% Paid time off
Which of the following policies in IHSS reform do you find is most important?
- 43% Create one consistent higher standard for all in-home caregivers
- 11% Expand caregivers’ role into managing the health of consumers
- 45% Secure dedicated funding for the IHSS program
What do you think? How would you answer these three questions?
the first question i would answer better funding because if we didnt have these cuts consumers would not have lost hours that are needed better funding means stability in the in home care program. question 2 more work hours question 3 secure dedicated funding for the ihss program
warren bryan
sacramento ca ihss provider
with out our union ,we that are taking care of I`ll loved one`s would not have made it this far!!32 years I have seen to my son ,being head of household all that time !! I-home -Care is a wonderful way to save live`s I know ! we have done it for us !!
We need a definition of home care that reflects who we are and what we do. We need to be recognized for the unique place we have a true home care workers and be respected accordingly.
Home care caregivers deserve higher wages, They need to be paid for all hours worked. Healthcare, sick leave, vancation and dental care should be mandatory for all home care workers. If home care workers are well their clients get better care. We need to take care of the home care workers. They also should be provided with respite care at least once a week. I have been doing home health for over six years for undesirable wages, no health care, one small raise, no health care sick leave or respite. The health care worker is over worked under paid and under appreciated and gets paid one third of what it the State would have to pay in order to place their clients. They get robbed in their wages. They are without respite or health coverage. There is no paid sick leave or paid vacation and no retirment. This is ridiculous and inhumane.
I agree with all of your suggestions. I personally do not require health insurance coverage from SEIU-UHW or IHSS, but I’m sure many fellow workers do.
I would add that I’ve been paid through IHSS for over two years, yet when one of my clients passed away at age 102, IHSS was of absolutely no help during the six months I was without work. Despite being registered with them and having done the fingerprinting, background check, etc., when I went to their office, they had me fill out an extensive and repetitive set application package. When I finished filling it out and gave it to the person at the front desk, he emphasized that they would call me with any job opportunities and I should not call them. They even gave me a blue printed card reiterating that I should not call them under any circumstances. Six months later I found another client on my own; I never heard a word from IHSS. I feel they are not doing their part to support workers. My credentials are excellent as are my references, so I feel trying to find a client through IHSS is a complete waste of time, something I find very disappointing and frustrating — and should be changed.
Thank you.
Stanley C. Sargent
thanks to sent me this informations
Great. Also we need to fight to ensure IHSS does NOT deny hours for special cases where hospital staff are violating Penal Code 368, by failing to protect clients that are protective supervision cases. In these cases parents have had to personally guard and protect or privately send IHSS staff INTO hosptial to guard and protect them from being killed or neglected by hospital staff. This is a reality that seems to escape the minds of those in charge of cuts. Under no circumstance shall a IHSS recipient be expected to recevie sub-standard care in a hospital because of the failure of hospital to secure proper SITTER or NURSES to handle protective supervision of such IHSS client. Just because they leave home doesn’t mean they don’t need the same standard of care in any other setting, especially a setting that is unfamiliar and dangerous,w here they will be medicated or restrained against their will if someone isn’t there to PROTECT them. It works both ways baby. You don’t protect the patient and you are in violation of Penal Code 368 by knowing this IHSS client needs protection, and NOT allowing the IHSS caregivers to give this protection in an emergency out of home hospital setting. The IHSS worker should be allowed to provide this protection in this special circumstance.