Home care advocates meet in Dover to talk with lawmakers

DOVER, Del. – Home Care Advocates descended on Legislative Hall in Dover Thursday, aiming to educate lawmakers about the lack of access to in-home nursing and personal care services.

“Home care is especially important,” said Korinne Ross. “For some parents it keeps them to be able to maintain their job because it’s difficult to always call out sick on a job because there’s nobody to be reliable to help you take care of your child properly and also it keeps Bethany healthier.”

Ross is the mother of 29-year-old Bethany Ross, who lives with severe autism and a number of other medical diagnoses.

She’s one of many who have seen home care benefit their living situation.

“It means everything to us, I mean I can have peace of mind cause I know as of right now I have somebody that’s very consistent, very skilled and she’s willing to do a lot of the work that is not considered as important as it really is,” said Ross. “Home care workers do not make anywhere near what they should make which is why we have difficulty getting enough people to want to do home care.”

That disparity in pay was one of the reasons home care advocates were at Legislative Hall Thursday, meeting with lawmakers to drum up support for the industry.

Finding adequate staffing to meet the growing demand has also been an issue for the home care industry.

“To be able to get quality care givers, quality nurses in the home to care for your loved ones outside of a hospital has been a great challenge,” said Stephanie Williams, Clinical Manager for BAYADA Home Health Care, RN. “We need to be able to compensate them appropriately and fairly to come into your home or to someone else’s home and take care of a loved one who may need services.”

Advocates are asking the state to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rates for licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and direct care providers.

They say it’s an increase that hasn’t been given more than three times in the last 19 years.

“Increased funding would enable us to find more people to get into this important work, be able to pay them adequately and keep them supporting people in their homes,” said Sue Getman, Executive Director, Delaware Association for Home & Community Care.

Advocates say increased funding would also allow providers to reduce open shifts, staff more cases and ensure more Delawareans have access to essential in-home care.