In 1975, fewer than 50 home care agencies existed nationwide. By 2009, there were nearly 6600, with a work force of some 2.5 million people caring for the nation's elderly at home. Those workers have been exempted from minimum wage and overtime pay rules under an exemption in the Fair Labor Act, and the Labor Department is considering a rule change that would guarantee minimum wage and overtime pay to home care workers. Labor advocates say the change is long overdue, but will increased costs mean fewer Americans will be able to afford to care for aging relatives at home? Who's planning ahead about how to care for baby boomers, a population that will include several million people over the age of 100 by the year 2050?
Is Help on the Way for Home Care Workers?
Credits
Guests:
- Emily Friedman - independent health policy and ethics analyst
- Phil Toledano - photographer - @MrToledano
- Jim Reynolds - Caring Companion Home Care
- Eileen Boris - University of California, Santa Barbara