We all feel the pinch from high gas prices, but for
home care workers it’s more of a punch. As PHI President Steven Dawson
puts it: “The doubling of gas prices over the past few years has been
like a pay cut for many home care workers — particularly those serving
clients in rural areas.
“Policy makers like to believe that home care is cheaper than
nursing homes, but that’s only true because home care workers are paid
less than nursing home workers, often without health benefits,” adds
Dawson. “There’s not much good to say about higher gas prices, except
perhaps that they will now force policy makers to look more closely at
the real costs of shifting toward home-based care, and in response
create realistic reimbursement policies that will offer home care
workers a true livable wage and benefits.”
When PHI’s Michigan State Director Hollis Turnham wrote about the home care gas crisis
in our blog in June, talking about the problems she was already hearing
about, anticipating others, and asking what other people were
experiencing, the response was swift and impassioned. An
employer called rising gas prices “the 500 lb gorilla in the room for
home care agencies.” A home care worker talked about seeing turnover
increase and “looking for something closer to home myself.” The head of
a home care and hospice aide recruitment agency said he planned to do
“something very tangible to address this issue,” though he
wasn’t ready yet to say just what.
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