This archive report was first published on 6 June 2020.
Published on June 6, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role of home care workers in caring for the elderly and disabled.
Dr. Madhuri Reddy, a geriatrician with Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, notes that home care aides require more education and training, a 'huge issue' even before the pandemic.
With no federal standards for training or licensing, home care operates under a patchwork of state requirements, with 35 states setting no requirements for home care aides.
Home care workers like Jennifer Washington, who cares for three clients in Oakland, California, face unique challenges during the pandemic. Despite her own health vulnerabilities, she continued to work, worried about infecting her mother or exposing her children to the virus.
Washington's clients, who rely on her for essential tasks like showering, grocery shopping, and companionship, would be left alone and vulnerable without her care.
