“Home Health Care: Shouldn’t It Be Work Worth Doing?” – The New York Times
“Changing the system of long-term care, to give more responsibilities to better-trained, higher-paid aides will not be easy.”
“Marisol Rivera, left, a senior aide, demonstrating a Hoyer lift to two associate instructors, Maria Soto and Miguelina Sosa, at a lab at Cooperative Home Care Associates. Credit Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times
by Eduardo Porter
“Do you know who is going to care for you when you are old and frail? By current standards, it’s likely to be a middle-aged immigrant woman, with maybe a high school education and little if any training, making $20,000 a year.
“And that’s if you are lucky. If you live in rural America, you may already have a hard time finding somebody to look after you. Paul Osterman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management calculates that if nothing is done to draw more workers into the field, there will be a shortage of at least 350,000 paid care providers by 2040.
“This, I’m sure you’ll agree, makes little sense.
“How to provide long-term care for a fast-aging population poses one of the more convoluted challenges of the American labor market. Care providers — home health aides, personal care attendants and certified nursing assistants, in the government’s classification — are expected to be among the nation’s fastest-growing occupations.”
“For people with disabilities, the unemployment rate is still pretty high” – MARKETPLACE
“Linda Wright (C), 57, attends a job conference for unemployed people with disabilities at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut. – Christopher Capozziello/Getty Images”
by
“If you’re a person with a disability, you’re much likelier to have a harder time finding employment.
“According to the Department of Labor, in 2016, the unemployment rate for the general population was 4.6 percent. But for people with disabilities? It was stuck around 10.5 percent. That’s about where it was in 2015, too, meaning that despite the ebb and flow of the labor market, employment prospects didn’t change too much for people with disabilities.
“‘I don’t really see the employment rate for people with a significant disability going up. It just seems to have plateaued,’ said Greg Thompson, the executive director of the Personal Assistance Services Council in Los Angeles. ‘And unfortunately there’s a lot of disincentive for somebody with a significant disability to return to work because they lose all their benefits.’
“Thompson was injured in a water skiing accident in 1977, when he became quadriplegic. After his injury, he went through rehabilitation at Rancho Los Amigos in Los Angeles.”
Click here to continue reading this MARKETPLACE article.
“Workers Who Give Care To The Homebound Often Can’t Afford To Get Their Own” – Kaiser Health News
“Celeste Thompson, 57, a home care worker in Missoula, Mont., examines a pill bottle in her home. Thompson cares for her husband, and worries that if she loses her Medicaid coverage, she won’t be able to afford to see a doctor. (Mike Albans for KHN)”
“For more than two decades, Celeste Thompson, 57, a home care worker in Missoula, Mont., had not had regular contact with a doctor — no annual physicals and limited sick visits. She also needed new glasses.
“Like many others who work in the lower rungs of the health care system, she has worked hard to keep her clients healthy by feeding them, dressing them and helping them navigate chronic conditions.
“But because of the low wages and the hourly structure of this industry — which analysts estimate is worth nearly $100 billion annually and projected to grow rapidly — workers like Thompson often don’t have health insurance. Many home health agencies, 80 percent of which are for-profit, don’t offer coverage, or their employees don’t consistently clock enough hours to be eligible. They generally earn too much to qualify for public aid but too little to afford the cost of premiums.
“‘It’s a social justice issue.’”
Read this Kaiser Health News article in its entirety, click here.
Are you a “digital native?” | “Many older workers are struggling with new forms of age discrimination” – Philly.com
“Despite the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act turning 50 this year, some still find it difficult to overcome age discrimination.” – Philly.com
by Lauren Rosenblatt, Los Angeles Times
“The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act turns 50 this year — about the age when many American workers begin to encounter the kinds of biases the law was intended to prevent.
“At this ‘milestone of middle age,’ quipped Victoria Lipnic, acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the law is grappling with new forms of age discrimination in the internet era.
“Research by the EEOC, which received 20,857 claims of age discrimination last year, found that 65 percent of older workers say age is a barrier to getting a job.
“The issue has taken on even greater importance as American workers delay retirement and stay in the workplace longer, pushing up the median age in the U.S. labor force.”
“Why an Inclusive Workplace Is Good For Business” – OZY.com
“For individuals with disabilities, job hunting can be particularly arduous. Never mind that few offices accommodate their needs — even though the Americans with Disabilities Act is meant to ensure that they do — landing a job is more difficult too.
“The Bureau (of Labor and Statistics) also found that when a disabled and nondisabled individual with the same level of education were both up for the same position, the candidate without a disability was far more likely to receive the offer. Part of the problem is that many employers have a misconception over what hiring someone with a disability entails, says Chetan Bakhru, the senior accessibility specialist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He notes that some employers worry about the effect hiring someone with a disability will have on the office culture, or on their budgets. The issue, he says, is a lack of understanding.”
Threshold Rehabilitation Services, Lebanon Fairweather Lodge provider, is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Fairweather Lodge Coordinator.
MENTAL HEALTH MANAGER
Threshold, a leader in supporting individuals with mental health challenges, is seeking a manager for a residential program for adult male individuals in Lebanon County under the Fairweather Lodge program.
The qualified candidate will possess:
- Bachelor’s Degree in a related field
- 5 years experience in the mental health field
- Demonstrated supervisory experience
- PA driver’s license and a vehicle
- Ability to travel as needed
- Bilingual a plus
Threshold offers a comprehensive benefit package, which includes a 401(k) plan. Please send your resume with salary requirements or apply in person:
Rehabilitation Services, Inc.
1000 Lancaster Avenue, Reading, PA 19607
or email hr@trsinc.org
or by fax to (610) 777-1295
EOE M/F/D/V
Statewide Employment Opportunities for Veterans Employment Representatives (Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry)
Veterans Employment Representative 1 and Veterans Employment Representative 2
Employment Opportunities: The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry currently has a grand total of five vacancies for Veterans Employment Representatives. There is one vacancy for Veterans Employment Representative 1 in Philadelphia. The agency is willing to fill this vacancy with a service-connected disabled veteran (job code VER1D) or an eligible veteran (job code 06370). There are four vacancies for Veterans Employment Representative 2 — one in each of the following counties: Allegheny, Berks, Butler, and Dauphin. The agency is willing to fill these positions with a service-connected disabled veteran (job code VER2D), an eligible veteran (job code 06380) or an eligible spouse (job code VER2S).
Nature of Work for Veterans Employment Representative 1: You will provide job related information and outreach services to disabled veterans and other veterans to assist them in finding employment. You will interview veterans, take employment requests from employers (job orders) and refer veterans to employers or other services.
In order to be considered for Veterans Employment Representative 1, applicants must pass the civil service exam for Veterans Employment Representative 1, and must show three years of responsible public contact work in veterans’ affairs or employment service work; OR an equivalent combination of experience and training. College coursework can substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
Nature of Work for Veterans Employment Representative 2: You will provide job related information and outreach services to disabled veterans and other veterans to assist them in finding employment. You will interview veterans, take employment requests from employers (job orders) and refer veterans to employers or other services. You will also promote the employment of veterans through personal visits or formal presentations to companies, businesses, and veterans’ organizations.
In order to be considered for Veterans Employment Representative 2, applicants must pass the civil service exam for Veterans Employment Representative 2, and must show one year as a Veterans Employment Representative 1; OR 5 years of responsible public contact work in veterans’ affairs or employment service work; OR an equivalent combination of experience and training. College coursework can substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
Necessary Special Requirement (all job titles except VER1S and VER2S)
Completion of service in a branch of the United States Armed Forces separated with other than a dishonorable discharge.
Clarification of Necessary Requirement (all job titles except VER1S and VER2S)
This means you must have served on active duty for a period of more than 180 days and have been discharged or released with other than a dishonorable discharge or discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected compensated disability.
If you were a member of the Reserves or National Guard and had more than 180 days of active duty (not active duty for training) and were discharged or released with other than a dishonorable discharge or were released from active duty because of a service-connected compensated disability, you also meet this requirement.
Clarification of Necessary Requirement for VER1S and VER2S – Eligible Spouse
If you are the spouse of a veteran who died of service-connected disabilities or a spouse of an active duty veteran forcibly detained or missing in action (MIA) or a spouse of a 100% disabled veteran, you also meet the Necessary Special Requirement.
Starting Salary for Veterans Employment Representative 1: $36,342/annually, plus benefits
Starting Salary for Veterans Employment Representative 2: $41,135/annually, plus benefits
Have questions? Please call Jeanne Block at (717) 772-1853.
How to Apply: Apply online at www.scsc.pa.gov. Log in to the Online Services section of the homepage. Select View Open Announcements & Apply from the menu, and reference announcement #2014-078 for Veterans Employment Representatives to submit your application and schedule your civil service exam. When completing your application, you must first determine which one veterans’ status listed above applies to you. Refer to the PRIORITIES IN HIRING section to help you determine which veterans’ status to choose when applying. You must submit Application Supplement #2014-078-1 and documents verifying veterans’ status.
Veterans: Pennsylvania law (51 Pa.C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences and opportunities for veterans, visit the veterans section of www.scsc.pa.gov.
Location for Veterans Employment Representative 1:
PA CareerLink Philadelphia West, 3901 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Locations for Veterans Employment Representative 2:
PA CareerLink Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, 304 Wood Street, Wood Street Commons, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
PA CareerLink Berks County, 1920 Kutztown Road, Reading, PA 19604
PA CareerLink Butler County, 112 Hollywood Drive Suite 203, Butler, PA 16001
PA CareerLink Capitol Region, 100 North Cameron Street Suite 101, Harrisburg, PA 17101
