PHI held a series of focus groups earlier this year, and here is some of what direct care workers have to say about their jobs:
- “You have to be able to come in to work, have a plan for the day but also be able to change it….Anything could happen.”
- “Every week, it is never the same. So sometimes, it gets tiring, mentally tiring, too.”
- “Although you are working, and you are not well compensated for what you do, we still go out and do it, because that’s our nature, especially migrant. You are accustomed back in my home country to show love.”
- I find it very rewarding – not only for helping seniors, as well as young folks, too, because sickness doesn’t have age.”
- “I always want to be there to help, so I go the extra mile.”
Workers also weighed in on the pandemic. Some said they stopped going to work because of illness or worries about getting sick; and others left their jobs altogether. Workers also are stressed by staffing shortages, especially when they’ve had to work extra hours and double shifts. However, many workers say they are committed to staying on their jobs because they love their residents.
