Filipina caregivers are earning less than $2 for serving the elderly in privately owned care homes in Contra Costa County and elsewhere in the US.
Normita and Sonia were two of the caregivers featured in Reveal's report tonight on NPR. As recent immigrants, they were easy to exploit, fearing they would lose their jobs if they complained.
Their employer, Ramel Publico, faces many lawsuits. Anyone with the money enough to buy and remodel a home can offer care to 5-6 elderly people and make half a million per year.
Thank you to Jennifer Gollan for this heart-breaking report from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
She interviewed one inspector and investigator of these homes, who said, "I could do this for the rest of my life and never even scratch the surface of the wage fraud and other abuses that are going on in this industry."
My mother received loving care from several Filipinas during her last five years of life.
I am still in touch with two of these wonderful women. I've heard of back injuries and difficult working conditions at the large assisted living place where my mother lived.
We all will grow old and need care that our families can't provide.
"We need to pay attention to how we as a country take care of our elders and how we treat our caregivers," says Jennifer.
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