A National and State Crisis
The In-home Elder Care industry faces a dire shortage of qualified home health aides. Home health aides and other caregivers provide personal care, homemaking, and senior services to help older citizens age in place. This national crisis has a direct impact on Massachusetts home care providers. Because of this, the Joint Committee On Elder Affairs will conduct a hearing on Monday July 31 at the State House in Boston. I will testify to the Massachusetts legislature regarding the Enough Pay to Stay coalition’s bill H. 350. This bill would increase wages for Home Health Aides, Home Makers, and ASAP Case Managers providing elder in-home care for seniors. Demand for in-home elder care senior services has sky-rocketed, so in-home elder care workers are in short supply. Adding funding, therefore, will attract more qualified people into this critical industry.
Connected Home Care Is an Industry Leader
Connected Home Care contracts with six of the state’s largest ASAP senior care programs. This means we can speak authoritatively on the impact of lagging wages for Home Health Aides to older citizens. We also can speak to the impact on the rate review process. As a result of this testimony and bill, we hope to improve funding to the home care programs for Massachusetts seniors, which are by far the lowest cost ways to support elders who need help as they age at home.