- Playing
- Caring For The Elderly
- From
- Dick Meister
There are nearly 2 million Home Health Care workers caring for the millions of elderly Americans who, though infirm, remain in their homes. As the number of older Americans continues to grow rapidly, the number of home care workers does not, mainly because of poor pay and working conditions.
More from Dick Meister
Good News For Our Neediest Workers
(04:03)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: More than 850,000 minimum wage workers in 10 states will be getting raises in the new year.
Home Care Workers Need Presidential Help
(02:21)
From: Dick Meister
It's time for President Obama to help the country's home care workers.
Many Profit From Bowl Games. But Not The Players
(04:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Student athletes get very little of the millions generated by college football's bowl games.
A Free Choice For US Workers
(04:13)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: It's time to enact a proposed law that would give workers the absolute right to unionization.
We All Need A Higher Minimum Wage
(04:33)
From: Dick Meister
Raising the minimum wage should be a key post-election priority.
Labor's Major Election Challenge
(02:41)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Labor faces its greatest election challenge in California.
Missing A Vital Election Message
(03:13)
From: Dick Meister
Repealing the union-crippling Taft-Hartley Act should have been a prime issue throughout the election campaign.
A Farm Worker Champion
(02:56)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: John Steinbeck was a great champion of farm labor.
We're Providing The Wrong Kind Of New Jobs
(03:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Although we're recovering from the Great Recession, most of the new jobs are low-paying, non-union jobs.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
There are nearly 2 million Home Health Care workers caring for the millions of elderly Americans who, though infirm, remain in their homes. As the number of older Americans continues to grow rapidly, the number of home care workers does not, mainly because of poor pay and working conditions.
Broadcast History
none
Transcript
It's one of the toughest yet most vital jobs of all – caring for the millions of elderly Americans who, though infirm, remain in their homes. There are an estimated 1.7 million of the Home Health Care workers across the U.S. to assist the elderly, but that's far from enough workers.
There's already a shortage of Home Health Care workers, and the need for more will continue to grow as the elderly population continues to grow at a rapid pace. Hiring Home Health Care workers, however, is becoming harder, mainly because of the poor pay and working conditions offered them. They are not even covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act that sets a minimum wage and requires overtime pay.
The wages of Home Health Care workers are at a nationwide average of $9.34 an hour, with one in five living below the poverty line. In more than two-dozen states, their pay is low enough to qualify them...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Commentator Dick Meister says an important group of American workers who help others need help themselves.
OUTRO:Dick Meister is a long-time labor and political journalist.
