Care providers for developmentally disabled people come up short pushing for more pay

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Washington has a shortage of workers who care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

People with developmental disabilities can sometimes require intensive 24/7 care, and those who do this work, known as direct support professionals, often earn low pay making them difficult to recruit and retain.

Providers of this type of care came to legislators this year to ask for a 10% rate increase – a figure based on a state-funded survey.

The Legislature only set aside enough money for a 2.5% increase, which will likely result in a 50-cent per-hour bump in care professionals’ pay.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/03/20/care-providers-for-developmentally-disabled-people-come-up-short-pushing-for-more-pay/

[Turbineguy]

1. That's my idea of hard work.

[Attilatheblond]

2. It is physically & mentally exhausting & turnover was extremely high where I worked years ago

Worked at a state institution that was, at the time, heralded as a model for such places. Turnover was high in a small town where the place was the only employer beyond bars, a cafe, and one little store.

The state legislature only met for 6 weeks every 2 years. They would send a little contingent of reps to inspect the place. When the legislative delegation got to the non-ambulatory unit (where I worked) we were usually treated to spectacle of one or more legislators actually fainting. You see, most of our non-amb patients also had sever physical abnormalities, and most weren't pretty to view. Also, most had to wear diapers. Between that and the overpowering smell of the undiluted Lysol concentrate we had to use on everything, including our own hands, due to constant problems with staphylococcus bacteria infections, the smell could (and did) knock visitors over, and often knocked some of them out cold.

The staph infections were so bad and so often that if any us so much as got poked with a diaper pin at work (pre-disposable diaper era), we were required to fill out an incident report as it was about 50/50 whether we would be OK, or end up with an infection that could result in serious medical complications and/or extended time off due to the resulting illness.

When wage/conditions discussion got to come up between the union and the legislature every other year, there was generally a strike because pay was so low and staffing levels to do all the work could never be met, so staff was overworked and often had unsafe patient loads.

During strikes, National Guard was called in to operate the place. You should have seen the messages they left for us. They REALLY got the reasons for strikes. They would set up a camp at edge of town, and since the town was so small, no way to avoid the NG and striking workers being together in town at bar, cafe, store. Many times, the Guardsmen would buy a local a beer, a burger, or offer a bit of cash at the store when workers were low on money to feed families.

It was hell.

[Prairie_Seagull]

3. Some of this important work is now being done by

contract workers. One of my daughters best friend does this work and while paid decently. The work comes with no benefits or future that I can see.