PHI has released a fact sheet called Who Are Direct-Care Workers (pdf). It details the demographic, employment, and income characteristics of the people who provide an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the paid hands-on long-term care and personal assistance received by Americans who are elderly or living with disabilities or other chronic conditions.
These workers help their clients bathe, dress, eat, and negotiate a host of other daily tasks. They are a lifeline for those they serve, as well as for families struggling to provide quality care.
Direct-care workers also constitute one of the largest and fastest-growing workforces in the country, playing a vital role in job creation and economic growth, particularly in low-income communities.
Some key facts include the direct-care worker at a glance:
- 88 % Female
- 52 % Minority
- 21 % Foreign born
- Average age: 41
- Median Annual Earnings for direct-care workers: $17,000
- 42 % Some college or advanced degree
- 41 % Receive public benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps
- 27 % Have no health insurance
At 4 million in 2016, the direct-care workforce will reach historic proportions, exceeding: teachers from kindergarten through high school, all law enforcement and public safety workers, fast food and counter workers, cashiers, registered nurses, and all child care workers and pre-school
teachers.
I take care of my disabled sister right, I also have a disabling condition. Awaiting my disability from my social security, I have RA, and fibromyalgia, which is very painful, no known cure for it. But I get up a take my sister to her treatments three times a week. I get a stipend, which helps me with my medication, we all know how high medecine is. Not to speak of food and gas….Something needs to be done…..we work all our lives on a job, and have to wait 2 to 3 years before we can get any of our social security. It’s not right.