A woman, named Susie, had a conversation with President Joe Biden about her role as a caregiver. Living in Texas, Susie started as a caregiver for a family member. She now works for a home care organization. She identifies caregiving as her passion and something she always felt called to do.
She tells Biden that while caregiving is her calling, the pandemic has negatively impacted her ability to work. “Caregivers do not have the luxury or privilege of working remotely,” Susie said. In the light of the pandemic, both her hours and pay have decreased significantly. She recognizes caregiving as a 24/7. “As caregivers, we tend to neglect ourselves because we are doing so much work for others,” Susie remarked. This contributes to the idea of self care within the caregiving community. Susie recognized the need for not only self care practices, but inclusion of benefits and paid time off for caregivers. She adds that in order to increase retention and recruitment into this field of work, more benefits and higher pay are needed.
To watch the full video, please click on the link below.