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How I'm living in rural Michigan. How thousands of caregivers across the state are dealing every day.
Ron Taylor, president and CEO of the Detroit Area Agency On Aging, recently declared a grim status for family caregivers on our home state:
"Reimbursements rates that individuals are getting to provide formal caregiving are less than working in fast food or car washing. And that's currently the negative stigma surrounding the sacrifice of caregiving, but as a society, we have to garner a greater appreciation for the services being rendered." [DetroitNews.com]
In 2023, we can expect the beginnings of the Michigan House Bill 5783 in July 2022. In a nutshell, it's recognizes the need to employ more direct care workers in Michigan.
Bill 5783 also expands coverage of the PACE Program. As of 2022, the Michigan Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE Program) does not serve all parts of the state. It's run on a zip code to zip code basis by separate PACE organizations with separate websites and different services.
While the core idea behind "holistic access to care" is consistent across all programs, the countless differences between regional programs causes immense barrier to entry for Michiganders who are eligible for PACE but can't figure out how to use PACE.
I'm one of those people.
Michigan's elder care industry currently suffers from major staffing shortages. My family has secured an in-home caregiver twice a twice for two house per session around Thanksgiving this year, but it'd gone one all year long where we'd call the local Commission on Aging and they's day "Sorry, Not Enough Staff."
We're grateful we made it to the front of the line. I'm sure there are people behind me in line in desperate need of non-family respite care services.
Raising caregiver wages is a bandaid over much deeper problems.
Michigan's aging population will only weigh greater stress on Michigan's elder care system in the years ahead.
More dollars salary for direct care workers is a short-term fix. More dollars funding to Michigan's elder care organizations is a short-term fix too. They both end up the same way, because the same people who've been spending the dollars all this time are still spending the dollars in the same way.
Systematic change must take place.
I wish a reliable new source could tell me which fundamental changes on which I can bet for the future. But most of Michigan's elder care journalists warn Michigan (like many states) is utterly unprepared for the future demands of the aging population.
