Letter to the editor: Caregivers need state support

The state budget is several months late, and for Pennsylvanians like us, the consequences are personal.

We are sisters living with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. We live together and rely on full-time, participant-directed home care for every part of daily life — bathing, eating, getting dressed. This model empowers us to hire caregivers we trust and live independently in our home. But today, even finding one caregiver is tough. The best pay in our region is barely above $13 an hour. Caregivers receive no time off and no benefits, so they often leave the profession for less-demanding, higher- paying jobs.

We often have to share one caregiver, which forces difficult, even unsafe, compromises, like one of us staying home alone. But with wages this low, hiring two caregivers is nearly impossible.

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposed a $21 million investment in participant-directed care — to help raise wages and fund paid time off. This investment would be a lifeline not just for workers but for people like us who want to stay in our communities and out of institutions. It’s also fiscally responsible: home care is far more cost- effective than institutional care.

With lawmakers dragging their feet, and some even voting for a flat-funded budget that leaves the $21 million out, caregivers and those who rely on them are left in limbo. We urge the Legislature: pass a budget that stands up for caregivers and those of us who depend on them. Our freedom, our safety and our dignity are on the line.

Jill and Joy Procida

Jeannette