(AmericanProsperity.com) – Many caregivers in California still live in financial distress even though they get paid by state programs to be caregivers.
Sabrina Bishop is a caregiver in California who works with an older man who has advanced dementia. She works in San Diego making $18.50 per hour, which is not much over the state’s minimum wage and she’s struggling to make ends meet. Bishop usually works nights, but she’s often found herself working days and nights watching her Dementia patient because of the day-shift worker’s schedule or tardiness to their shift, leaving Bishop to work both.
“He is unfortunately at the end stage of dementia. And so he really needs to be watched 24 hours a day,” she said.
She goes on to speak about how she could go on to make more money working in fast food but she chooses to stay in this career anyway. “If I did that, people like Mike, the forgotten individuals unfortunately will pass away. How come we can’t put more money into this program to make sure that these individuals are cared for?” said Bishop.
Bishop, among many other caregivers, says this career field is not respected. She spoke out about how caregivers need to be given more on a federal level, not just a state level, and that nobody understands the position that caregivers are really in until it’s one of their family members who needs a caregiver.
The Biden administration has announced steps that they would take to prioritize care and create standards for Medicaid access. Some in-home caregivers believe that they need more support, resources, and job/safety protections. They’ve made note that these caregivers have no long-lasting benefits in their jobs and taking care of those who are in the late stages of life means that they will need to find a new job once the person passes while dealing with the fact that they don’t get benefits and they have no retirement plan.
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