From the New York Times:

A national survey finds that the economic crisis has dealt a heavy blow to the estimated 44 million Americans who care for an aging or disabled relative or spouse.

One in six caregivers surveyed by the National Alliance for Caregiving and Evercare, a division of the UnitedHealth Group,  said they had lost a job during the downturn. Some 21 percent said they had to share housing with family members to save money. At the same time, government and non-profit organizations that usually provide relief are being cut in the downturn.

Teresa Denk, 59, who provides constant care for her 92-year-old father in Rainbow City, AL, said she is unable to work fulltime while caring for her father. The money she could make working part-time would not be enough to pay for home care. Ms. Denk said, “Agencies charge a minimum of $15 an hour … I might be able to earn $8 to $10 an hour.”

See also:

Most carers ‘hit breaking point’ – BBC News

Earlier post here.

From the Los Angeles Times ‘LA Now’ blog:

Three thousand state workers and advocates gathered in downtown Los Angeles yesterday to protest California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to the state home-care program.

The state plans to cut wages for state workers from $12.35 to $8 per hour and reduce the number of hours. Parents of children with disabilities said the pay cut would force caregivers out of the profession.

Silvia Alvarado stood outside the state building with her son, Omar, 17, who uses a wheelchair. She said the proposed cuts would force her to quit her job to care for her son, who has spina bifida.  “He’s my job,” she said. “Who’s going to watch him now?”

Earlier posts here, here, and here.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune columnist Gail Rosenblum says proposed cuts of almost 10 percent from Minnesota’s personal care assistance (PCA) program would affect, and potentially harm, at least half of the 14,000 Minnesotans with disabilities who need services. She says proposals for deep cuts in the program would seem to be “a classic case of save now and pay a bundle later.”

An excerpt:

People benefiting from these assistants range from children to the frail elderly. They come from every race and place across the state. They battle a host of physical and mental challenges. Yet, they share two tough realities: They’re permanently disabled, and they’re living at or below the poverty line. A PCA is often the only buttress between their cherished independence and life in an institution.

“This is a safety-net program,” said Anne Henry, an attorney with the Minnesota Disability Law Center. “And the breadth is huge.”

(Photo from Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)

From the Boston Globe:

Massachusetts officials say reports of fraud, abuse and neglect by personal health care attendants in the state have tripled over the past few years, just as the state’s Medicaid program has significantly increased the amount of money it spends on the workers.

As a result, new concerns are being raised about a state system that requires no training, certification or criminal background checks for attendants, and operates with minimal oversight of low-paid home healthcare workers.

Some lawmakers are calling for changes. A bill has been introduced that would allow people to run a free criminal background check on attendants.

“Why would we be shocked something like this could be happening in these facilities when there’s been this long history of abuse?“

– Curtis L. Decker

By Patricia E. Bauer

The news reports started coming out of Texas yesterday afternoon: Vulnerable men with intellectual disabilities were allegedly used and abused for their caretakers’ entertainment. Law enforcement authorities say a group of employees at the Corpus Christi State School in Texas repeatedly staged a “fight club,” compelling their charges to physically battle with one another.

The investigation began when someone gave authorities a cellphone that contained videos of the alleged abuse. As of now, seven state employees have been suspended from their jobs and the state has halted admissions to the campus.

Searching for background on the emerging scandal, we caught up with Curtis L. Decker. He is executive director of the National Disability Rights Network, the nation’s largest non-governmental enforcer of disability rights.  Decker is familiar with conditions in Texas’ institutions for people with intellectual disabilities because the NDRN has been investigating conditions and working with residents and their families for several years.

—

Q:. Based on your experience and observations, what can you tell us about what may be happening inside the institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Texas?

Curtis L. Decker: There has been an absolutely demonstrated and documented series of abuse and neglect in these facilities, eight hundred staff fired over the last several years, numerous deaths, lots of complaints and lots of documentation of abuse and neglect. There has been nothing like this particular story, but why would we be shocked something like this could be happening in these facilities when there’s been this long history of abuse?

(more…)

From the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

More and more, Minnesota is finding cases of overbilling and fraud as the state relies on personal care agencies to care for more of its disabled, elderly or mentally ill residents. Lawmakers were stunned last month by an audit that sampled personal care records and found numerous irregularities, including 423 instances of caregivers claiming more than 24 hours of work in a day.

… “It’s pretty clear to me there is widespread abuse of this program on a number of levels,” said Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, R-Lakeville.

From CTV Toronto, Sudbury [Ontario] Star:

Minna Mettinen-Kekalainen of Sudbury, Ontario, who lost home health care over two months ago, will have her services reinstated on Monday. She has ALS and Asperger’s syndrome. Officials stepped in to work out a solution after home health nurses stopped treating Mettinen-Kekalainen due to “erratic behavior.”

France Gelinas, a member of Ontario’s provincial parliament, said the case would provide an impetus for the province to take a hard look at its home-care system. Care is provided by for-profit companies that bid competitively for government contracts.

“There has to be policy change in the way home-care services are delivered in this province,” Gelinas said.

“Otherwise there will be more and more Minnas out there, and this is not acceptable.”

See also: Debate a wasted opportunity – Sudbury Star

Earlier posts here and here.