Slammed by the crosscurrents of an ongoing pandemic and aging population, New York state currently faces a shortage of 100,000 home care workers, a panel of state lawmakers, caregivers and consumer advocates said Thursday during a virtual press conference.
“This issue, which was a moral issue prior to COVID, has now become a life and death issue,” State Sen. Shelley Mayer (D) said.
The lawmakers, caregivers and consumers called for passage of the Fair Pay for Home Care Act, a bill introduced in the New York State Senate earlier this year that would provide minimum wages for home care workers of 150% of New York’s $13.20 minimum wage.
Low wages are among the biggest barriers to recruiting and retaining home care workers in New York and across the country. But the Empire State has also lost thousands of home care workers who don’t want to get COVID-19 shots under the state’s vaccination mandate.
Andrea Conneely said during the press conference that her 90-year-old mother qualifies for 24/7 care under a Medicaid program, but she is having difficulty finding caregivers.
“I have found it close to impossible to find aides due to the low pay that Medicaid provides,” Conneely said. “We have one personal assistant who works on the weekends and my husband had to retire early this year in order to help me care for my mom.”
State Rep. Thomas Abinanti (D) implored his colleagues in Albany to “think outside the box” and also consider a possible immigrant worker program or an au pair program for home care workers.
“We do au pair programs for different purposes; why not look at it for this field? Let young people come in from other countries, learn how we do things and go back to their own countries,” Abinanti suggested.
The number of New Yorkers over age 65 is expected to grow 25% in the next 20 years,more than 8 times the rate of the general population. The state is expected to need an additional 600,000 home care workers in the next five years.
