Elderly home care aides have successfully campaigned for better pay and workplace conditions through the “Fight for $ 10 ” movement, with workers in at least five states gaining significant hours raises. However, experts such as Lee Lindquist , Massachusetts policy director for the Service Employees International Union , have said that although achieving better wages is a good first step, larger paychecks and benefits will not necessarily improved care for senior citizens. As a result, 500,000 home caregivers in 12 states have joined SEIU and can bargain for paid sick time and retirement benefits. Home care aides must undergo better screening, training and organisation, as well as having better conditions and better pay, to make a difference. Many enter the industry with little to no experience, but are expected to give the same quality of healthcare as nursing homes staffed by professionals. Large gaps in regulation, such as a lack of mandatory checks for criminal history or drug use, also affect the quality of home care provided for elderly patients.
Elderly home care aides have successfully campaigned for better pay and workplace conditions through the “Fight for $ 10 ” movement, with workers in at least five states gaining significant hours raises. However, experts such as Lee Lindquist , Massachusetts policy director for the Service Employees International Union , have said that although achieving better wages is a good first step, larger paychecks and benefits will not necessarily improved care for senior citizens. Home care aides must undergo better screening, training and organisation, as well as having better conditions and better pay, to make a difference. Many enter the industry with little to no experience, but are expected to give the same quality of healthcare as nursing homes staffed by professionals. Large gaps in regulation, such as a lack of mandatory checks for criminal history or drug use, also affect the quality of home care provided for elderly patients.