Gov. Shapiro should increase caregiver funding so we can earn a living wage

I have committed more than 20 years of my life to helping Philadelphians with disabilities and seniors remain in their own homes. As a home health aide, I visit vulnerable and medically fragile individuals’ homes and provide them with the caregiving services they need to live independently.

I am proud of the work that I do, and I am proud to live in a state where Gov. Josh Shapiro has prioritized the senior population. But while tax breaks and the creation of an older adult “master plan” are steps in the right direction, this is not enough to ensure seniors can age in their own homes.

The reality is that the state has not properly invested in its home care program for seniors and adults with disabilities for many years, and home health aides like me can no longer afford to live on low wages.

On behalf of my fellow caregivers, I invite Shapiro and our policymakers to consider a 10% increase in the commonwealth’s Personal Assistance Services program. This increase in funding for home care would allow aides to be paid $15 per hour and will allow Pennsylvania to compete with surrounding states like New Jersey that are already paying their aides more.

Pennsylvania’s home health aide wages are below the national average. This means aides like me are currently earning less than we can earn working in fast-food restaurants, in retail, and with delivery services.

On Jan. 9, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry pledged $2.8 million in grant funding to bolster the commonwealth’s direct care workforce. One of the goals of this grant is to improve caregivers’ job quality and career advancement opportunities in order to raise the standard of care provided to elderly and vulnerable Pennsylvanians.

While job quality and career advancement opportunities are important, it is no secret that home health aides are leaving the industry to take on other jobs with better wages. The agency I work for is seeing more bedbound clients who need assistance to stay at home — but many aides are unwilling to take them on for $11-$13 per hour. They would rather work on cases that are less emotionally and physically tolling.

This places those individuals — who are medically authorized to receive home care — at risk of institutionalization, which is not only where they don’t want to be, but also a costlier setting for the state.

According to a 2021 Genworth analysis, home health aide services in Pennsylvania cost approximately $4,957 per month, while nursing home care costs $10,403 per month for a semiprivate room or $11,157 for a private room. This means the state can save at least $65,352 per individual per year we serve in the community, instead of a nursing home.

Put another way, the state can serve more than two people in the community for every person served in an institution. That is sorely needed in Pennsylvania, given our rapidly aging population.

The best way to ensure Pennsylvanians can access the reliable, compassionate home care services they need is by compensating home health aides fairly for the services we provide. I have considered leaving my job many times over the years, and have made sacrifices to keep doing this work because I know how important it is for my clients to remain at home.

But there is no reason other home health aides like me can’t just say, “I’ve had it. I can’t make ends meet, and I’m leaving home care to earn more at Target, McDonald’s, or Amazon.”

Despite the rise in costs over the past several years, Pennsylvania’s funding for home care services for adults with physical disabilities and seniors has only increased by 12% for personal care services. For adults needing nursing care, there has not been an increase in funding since 2012. In contrast, New Jersey has increased funding for its personal assistant services home care program by 60% since 2018.

While Gov. Shapiro has made inroads by making home care a priority, there is still a mountain to climb. Home health aides who provide care to people in their own homes and communities deserve to be fairly compensated for the emotionally and physically tolling work we do.

I ask the governor and the state legislature to address low caregiver wages and help ensure vulnerable residents have access to the quality home care they need and deserve.

Cathy Creevey is a home health aide in Philadelphia.