Tens of thousands of home care workers in Washington state who do the demanding and critical work of care for seniors and people with disabilities do not have any retirement benefit. A fiscally responsible agreement was negotiated last year that funded a modest retirement contribution for these workers, many who are approaching retirement age. But this contribution is in danger of being left out of the budget being debated in Olympia.
Marion Jones left the traditional workforce and has spent the last 10 years of her life working as a caregiver for her disabled son — saving the state thousands by keeping him at home rather than an institution. As a result, she does not have a retirement fund. Marion’s mother, who has dementia, came to live with her this year after her father passed away. Now Marion is the caregiver for her adult son and her mother. Marion planned to return to work once her family was older but with her son’s needs and her mother’s illness she will not be able to do that any time soon. Marion will continue to be a caregiver so she can care for her adult child and her aging mother, but having even a modest retirement would mean she would have something that would take care of her when she can no longer work. Now she faces the reality of never being able to retire.
This contract is a critical investment for seniors and people with disabilities who rely on home care aides for assistance with activities of daily living. Washington state’s home care program serves nearly 50,000 vulnerable adults in our state. Home care saves the state millions of dollars each year by keeping individuals out of more expensive institutional settings like nursing homes and residential habilitation centers. However worker turnover and recruitment challenges affect the quality of care in the home care system and threatens the ability of many to live at home.
The demand for home care is expected to grow by 56 percent over the next two decades. That adds up to nearly 77,000 home care aides by 2030.
That is why it is baffling that any budget advanced in Olympia would fail to make the investment to attract and retain quality home care workers such as Marion and Danielle, which we need to meet this demand.
Helping home care workers save for a dignified retirement is an investment in our home care workforce. If we don’t invest now we risk loosing our dedicated workers and weaken the care our state provides to seniors and people with disabilities.
The deal negotiated by home care workers last year was a historic agreement that avoided arbitration for the first time in a decade. It keeps faith with the collective bargaining process that Washingtonians approved by an overwhelming popular vote in 2001. Now it is time for our elected leaders to do the same by honoring the retirement contribution that was negotiated in good faith. Honoring this deal means that we strengthen home care by keeping experienced workers in the system and offering them the training to provide the very best standard of care. It means that the caregivers like Marion who work for the benefit of others won’t have to fear spending their senior years in poverty and debt. And our state will continue to save money on home care costs in the bargain.
Legislator face many difficult decisions in balancing our state’s budget but short-changing hard working caregivers and the people they care for should not be one of them.
The right choice is to honor the agreement that was negotiated and provide a modest retirement contribution that strengthens community care for vulnerable Washingtonians and provides piece of mind for those who provide it.
Eva Gentala lives in Monroe and has been a caregiver for 15 years.
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