Episode 158: Caring in a Crisis
/“I feel elderlies are being neglected. It’s just a good feeling to do my part, and I’m really worried when I get to be that age – who’s going to be there for us?”
“I’m not worried about [going to work] because I believe that in a crisis, not doing anything is not an option...I am not a part of the problem. I am part of the solution. ”
Photo by sam thomas/iStock / Getty Images
A lot of us have been able to work from home during lockdown these last few months. One group of workers that hasn't is paid caregivers - aides, mainly women, who are paid by the hour to help elderly, frail and disabled people accomplish some of the tasks of daily living.
In this show we meet two women who have been doing care work for three decades - Susie Rivera in Texas and Maria Colville in Massachusetts. Their job is one of the fastest growing in the U.S. But it pays poorly and a lot of people don't see its importance...until they need that care themselves. Some clients are grateful and gracious, others less so.
Each woman feels called to her role. As Maria puts it, "The opportunity to make an impact in someone else's life," is its own reward.
You can also read a transcript of the show.