Latest news with #longtermcare
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lopez: If people taking care of our elders get deported, will anyone take their place?
She rides three buses from her Panorama City home to her job as a caregiver for an 83-year-old Sherman Oaks woman with dementia, and lately she's been worrying about getting nabbed by federal agents. When I asked what she'll do if she gets deported, B., who's 60 and asked me to withhold her name, paused to compose herself. 'I don't want to cry,' she said, but losing her $19 hourly job would be devastating, because she sends money to the Philippines to support her family. The world is getting grayer each day thanks to an epic demographic wave. In California, 22% of the state's residents will be 65 and older by 2040, up by 14% from 2020. 'At a time where it seems fewer and fewer of us want to work in long-term care, the need has never been greater,' Harvard healthcare policy analyst David C. Grabowski told The Times' Emily Alpert Reyes in January. So how will millions of aging Americans be able to afford care for physical and cognitive decline, especially given President Trump's big beautiful proposed cuts to Medicaid, which covers about two-thirds of nursing home residents? And who will take care of those who don't have family members who can step up? There are no good answers at the moment. Deporting care providers might make sense if there were a plan to make the jobs more attractive to homegrown replacements, but none of us would bet a day-old doughnut on that happening. Nationally and in California, the vast majority of workers in care facilities and private settings are citizens. But employers were already having trouble recruiting and keeping staff to do jobs that are low-paying and difficult, and now Trump administration policies could further shrink the workforce. Earlier this year, the administration ordered an end to programs offering temporary protected status and work authorization, and the latest goal in Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration is to make 3,000 arrests daily. Read more: 7 million people have Alzheimer's. Why is the Trump administration derailing research? 'People are worried about the threat of deportation … but also about losing whatever job they have and being unable to secure other work,' said Aquilina Soriano Versoza, director of the Pilipino Workers Center, who estimated that roughly half of her advocacy group's members are undocumented. In the past, she said, employers didn't necessarily ask for work authorization documents, but that's changing. And she fears that given the political climate, some employers will 'feel like they have impunity to exploit workers,' many of whom are women from Southeast Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America. That may already be happening. 'We've seen a lot of fear, and we've seen workers who no longer want to pursue their cases' when it comes to fighting wage theft, said Yvonne Medrano, an employment rights lawyer with Bet Tzedek, a legal services nonprofit. Medrano said the workers are worried that pursuing justice in the courts will expose them to greater risk of getting booted out of the country. In one case, she said, a worker was owed a final paycheck for a discontinued job, but the employer made a veiled threat, warning that showing up to retrieve it could be costly. Given the hostile environment, some workers are giving up and going home. 'We've seen an increase in workers self-deporting,' Medrano said. Conditions for elder care workers were bleak enough before Trump took office. Two years ago, I met with documented and undocumented caregivers and although they're in the healthcare business, some of them didn't have health insurance for themselves. Read more: They take care of aging adults, live in cramped quarters and make less than minimum wage I met with a cancer survivor and caregiver who was renting a converted garage without a kitchen. And I visited an apartment in Panorama City where Josephine Biclar, in her early 70s, was struggling with knee and shoulder injuries while still working as a caregiver. Biclar was sharing a cramped studio with two other caregivers. They used room dividers to carve their space into sleeping quarters. When I checked with Biclar this week, she said four women now share the same space. All of them have legal status, but because of low wages and the high cost of housing, along with the burden of supporting families abroad, they can't afford better living arrangements. B. and another care provider share a single room, at a cost of $400 apiece, from a homeowner in Panorama City. B. said her commute takes more than an hour each way, and during her nine-hour shift, her duties for her 83-year-old client include cooking, feeding and bathing. She's only working three days a week at the moment and said additional jobs are hard to come by given her status and the immigration crackdown. She was upset that for the last two months, she couldn't afford to send any money home. Retired UCLA scholar Fernando Torres-Gil, who served as President Clinton's assistant secretary on aging, said 'fear and chaos' in the elder care industry are not likely to end during this presidential administration. And given budget constraints, California will be hard-pressed to do more for caregivers and those who need care. But he thinks the growing crisis could eventually lead to an awakening. 'We're going to see more and more older folks without long-term care,' Torres-Gil said. 'Hopefully, Democrats and Republicans will get away from talking about open borders and talk about selective immigration' that serves the country's economic and social needs. The U.S. is not aging alone, Torres-Gil pointed out. The same demographic shifts and healthcare needs are hitting the rest of the world, and other countries may open their doors to workers the U.S. sends packing. 'As more baby boomers' join the ranks of those who need help, he said, 'we might finally understand we need some kind of leadership.' It's hard not to be cynical these days, but I'd like to think he's onto something. Meanwhile, I'm following leads and working different angles on this topic. If you're having trouble finding or paying for care, or if you're on the front lines as a provider, I'm hoping you will drop me a line. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘I just couldn't take it anymore': Why one long-term care worker left the industry
Warning: Story contains graphic details Wendy Harvie decided to quit after working for 14 years as a personal support worker at a private nursing home. The 60-year-old woman from Oshawa, Ont., who is now self-employed with private clients, told in a video interview Tuesday that she endured years of violence at work, including 'abuse' from residents. 'We were always having somebody up at night that was disruptive or aggressive or violent, like there was always somebody that was up that didn't go to bed, that would be up screaming for no reason,' Harvie said. She says she and her coworkers suffered injuries from residents using canes, walkers, cups and hot drinks as weapons, adding she was punched, kicked and pinched. She described how residents dug their nails, usually full of feces, into her skin. They also scratched her, pulled her hair and spit on her. During her time there, she says workers like her didn't feel safe or supported. Before she quit her job around 10 years ago, Harvie says she had taken about eight months of stress leave from work. Harvie is among the rising number of people who have left the long-term care industry in Canada. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released a study last week that highlighted the challenge of meeting the demand for long-term care workers in the country. These workers include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The study says most health-care job vacancies in 2023 were for staff who often work at long-term care facilities, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal support workers. The CIHI says these vacancies have risen steadily since 2015 and 'remain elevated' for many jobs. Harvie says most of her past colleagues didn't have benefits since they weren't considered full-time employees. Workers were often called in for extra shifts and couldn't take time off Christmas in part because of staff shortages, she said. 'I didn't know that there was such a thing at the time, that it was anxiety,' she said of her experience. 'Over the years, I just couldn't take it anymore.'
Forbes
4 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Solo Agers Can Benefit By Planning A Move Before A Crisis Hits
Designed for community living In today's aging-in-place oriented environment, many older adults are determined to stay in their homes indefinitely. However, when they experience a significant change to their health, that conviction tends to fall apart. These health changes often result in the unsuitability (or significant difficulty) of living independently, which often leads to individuals and families looking more seriously at a safer, more secure living situation in a senior living community. A study by the Geriatrics Healthcare Professionals and published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society looked more closely at how and why these changes in attitude come about. The objective of the qualitative study was to 'understand what influences older adults to change their attitude and plans about aging in place (AIP) versus living in long-term care settings.' Influences found in the study included: One key result of the study was the following: over a 36 month period, close to half of the older adults in the study changed their minds about whether to age in place or in long-term care. For older adults with family support, these kinds of decisions are often the focus of ongoing discussions about what is the best path for the elder. These discussions can go on for years or occur solely at a crisis point. But what about solo agers, those who don't have the benefit of family support or input on this decision? What wisdom can be derived for solo agers from this study of how and why people change their minds about aging-in-place versus long-term care? I think flexibility is key here. Many of the solo agers I've spoken with about their long-term planning believe they will be able to age safely and securely in their current home. That might be true if they have a vibrant and multi-generational support system around them and a home that is adaptable to their changing needs. In terms of 'vibrant and multi-generational,' the best example I can think of is the support system one generally has in a co-housing community. In my book, Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers, I told the story of Anna and Greg, a Taiwanese couple without children or family in the U.S. After assessing the challenges of growing old in their single-family home, they decided to sell their large, two-story home and move into a cohousing community. That was in 2014. When I checked in with them for this story they told me things had worked out pretty much as they had planned. They have formed close bonds with many of the other members of the community and have had the opportunity to help and support some of the older community members who have become ill or passed away during the last 11 years. They feel certain that the same kind of emotional support will be available when one or both of them need it. Cohousing isn't for everyone. Most people look to more established forms of congregate living when they sense they are at a crossroads, emotionally or physically. Congregate living is one way of describing what is commonly called 'senior living.' It can take many different forms, from almost complete independence to skilled nursing, with assisted living and memory care falling somewhere in the middle. One of the concerns that many older adults have about senior living is that it is cost prohibitive and that home care, if and when needed, would take a smaller bite out of their retirement and savings income. That doesn't always turn out to be true. Genworth's 2024 cost-of-care survey for the U.S. found that the yearly median home health aide cost was just under $80,000, where the median assisted living community was just over $70,000. annually. Both of these services can go a long way toward keeping an elder out of a skilled nursing facility, which tallies up at well over $100,000. annually. Any of the services mentioned above usually involve a family member to help determine the choices and coordinate the contract or move. Solo agers often do not have such a family helper, which makes it very important to plan ahead and make appropriate choices before the need manifests itself in an emergency.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
72 new long-term care spaces open in Bedford
A dining room is pictured at Moody Hall, a long-term care home in Bedford, N.S. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia) A second wing has opened ahead of schedule at a long-term care home in Bedford, N.S. An initial wave of 72 residents moved into Moody Hall, a Shannex-operated care home, in November when the first of two wings opened. The second group of 72 residents moved in on April 22, according to a news release from the Nova Scotia government. 'We are building more long-term care spaces in our province than ever before. We committed to creating 5,700 new and improved spaces, and we're making steady progress with the new Moody Hall facility opening ahead of schedule,' said Barbara Adams, minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, in the release. 'This new home has modern, single rooms that provide more Nova Scotians the dedicated long-term care they need in private, comfortable spaces. New long-term care homes like these will help meet the needs of our seniors for generations.' Moody Hall One of the 144 single rooms at Moody Hall in Bedford, N.S. (Source: Province of Nova Scotia) The province says the home has six 'neighbourhoods,' with 24 residents each, that contain: common area dining room living room activity spaces The neighbourhoods also have access to a common hair salon, lounge area with games, worship space, and a suite family members can access to stay overnight. The province says it plans to build more than 50 new or replacement long-term care homes and Moody Hall is the fourth to open. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Why are Canada's nurses and other health-care workers leaving long-term care? Share your story
As Canada's population ages, there is expected to be a shortage in long-term care workers. (Pexels) Canada faces a challenge of meeting the demand for long-term care workers as the sector's workforce is shrinking, according to a new study. With one of Canada's fastest growing age groups being people 85 and older, long-term care capacity will need to nearly double in the next decade to meet demand, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). The CIHI found that fewer staff mainly worked in the long-term care sector in 2023, at an estimated 13.6 per cent of the health workforce or 50,216 providers, than before the pandemic. These workers include nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. Recent data shows many of these workers are moving to jobs outside the long-term care industry. For instance, the number of registered psychiatric nurses working in long-term care dropped 42.5 per cent to 315 in 2023, from 548 in 2014. CIHI found in 2023 that most health-care job vacancies were for staff who often work at long-term care facilities, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses and personal support workers. These vacancies have risen steadily since 2015 and 'remain elevated' for many jobs, according to CIHI. Reasons for the vacancies include retirement, changing jobs or adding positions, the report found. The findings are an overview of recent trends and more data is needed for in-depth analyses, CIHI added. wants to hear from workers about their experiences working in the long-term care industry. Have you left or are you thinking of leaving your job in the sector? Why did you switch jobs, or thinking of making the change? What challenges did you face in your job? What can Canada do to retain workers in the sector? Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@ with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a story.
