To the Point
Home Care and Our Aging Population
The US Labor Department is weighing a new rule to extend minimum wage and overtime pay to the approximately 2.5 million workers caring for elderly Americans at home.
By Sara Terry • • 50m ListenOnly 14 states require minimum wage and overtime pay for healthcare workers. But the US Labor Department is considering a rule change that would extend those protections to all of the approximately 2.5 million workers caring for elderly Americans at home. As an aging population lives longer, guest host Sara Terry considers the costs of keeping seniors healthy. Also, the UN weighs a response after hundreds of villagers are killed in Syria, and a look at the impact of the record-breaking drought stretching across America.
Banner image: Rosie O'Beirne/flickr
In this episode
3 storiesHundreds of Villagers Killed in Syria, UN Weighs Response
International mediator Kofi Annan today condemned "atrocities" of a reported massacre by Syrian forces in the village of Tarmaseh, where more than 200 Syrians, mostly civilians, were killed on Thursday, according to rebel forces.
Read the story7 minIs Help on the Way for Home Care Workers?
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.
Read the story35 minMidwest Stricken by Worst Drought in Quarter Century
Just one year ago, heavy rains and swollen rivers led to historic flooding in the Midwest, yet this summer the worst drought in a quarter century is spreading across the region and threatening crops. More than 1,000 counties have been declared natural disaster areas. The drought comes in the midst of a record-breaking period of high temperature.
Read the story7 min