Making a Difference: From Care Work to Home Care Activism

This episode of The Shape of Care podcast (hosted by OBOS Today Growing Older chair and sociologist Dr. Mindy Fried) discusses access to affordable long-term care. It includes the perspective of an older adult who has a careworker, Darlen Wagenius. Darlen’s caregiver who is a union leader, Shazia Anwar, also shares. Darlen and Shazia discuss overcoming challenges to provide quality long-term care for Darlen’s husband Joe. Joe is at a rehabilitation center, and they are hoping to move him to a nursing home closer to Darlen. However, if he is moved, they will use his social security for the care costs. Darlen will no longer have enough to pay her bills.

This dilemma is one that both Dr. Ben Veghte and Senator Bob Casey are working to solve. Dr. Ben Veghte is the director of WA Cares which will use tax dollars to cover the cost of home care for those who need it in Washington. Senator Bob Casey is working to pass legislation that addresses long-term care at the national level.

The episode also addresses the needs of caregivers. Caregivers, who are mostly women of color, are not paid fairly. Shazia and Sterling Harder, the leader of her union, talk about their efforts to advocate for caregivers to receive fair wages and fair treatment. 

I started thinking, Oh my God, there’s so much we are doing and there’s so much need to be done. . . Talking to caregivers all the time and just letting them know we need to be more and more stronger, talking to our legislators. All these things. Because of my union, we have so much achieved and… Mostly caregivers, they are women of color. And that’s a big issue. And we just want them to have respect and all the equality.

SOURCE: The Shape of Care • AUTHOR: Mindy Fried • LAST UPDATED: July 5, 2022