A new bill is being proposed to boost the home health aide industry, as New York remains in the midst of a drastic shortage of workers in the field. The bill, called the Long Term Care Workforce Support Act, calls for increasing salaries to attract people to the profession and improving labor protections. Proposed by New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, it also includes $100 billion in federal grants.
Terry Ann Hamilton works three different jobs as a certified nursing assistant and relies on cabs to get to work since she doesn’t have a car. At one of her jobs, she cares for an elderly couple who have limited mobility. The couple has formed a bond with Hamilton and appreciates her dedication. They believe the workers are like family to them, providing essential care that they couldn’t do without.
Finding long-term care workers is increasingly difficult, with New York facing a shortage of over 1.2 million home care workers. At the home health aide training institute on Long Island, there is a constant demand for workers. The school’s president, Maria Santiago, mentioned that agencies are continuously asking for more aides, highlighting the need for more workers in the field.
Sen. Gillibrand believes that the shortage of workers is due to the low wages paid for the job. She argues that about half of the 3.7 million long-term care workers in 2022 earned less than $30,000 a year, leading many to require public assistance. Workers like Terry Ann Hamilton feel overwhelmed by the workload due to the low pay and believe that a raise is necessary to compensate for the challenging nature of the job.
Clients appreciate the hard work put in by long-term care workers and believe they deserve higher pay. Christine Dorsay, a 91-year-old client, mentioned how special these workers are and expressed gratitude for their dedication. She emphasized the importance of supporting these workers by providing them with the pay they deserve.