Last week, President Biden signed an Executive Order that has an impact on the world of senior care. The order contains more than 50 directives that are designed to help make care easier to access across the board.
The order doesn’t just pertain to senior care, but child care, too. It revolves around providing supports for those that provide care already, at any capacity. It also focuses on supporting changes within companies to make care more of a priority for employers, too. It has an emphasis on helping vulnerable individuals, including the very young, very old, veterans, and those at economic or social disadvantages.
One of the big things that we should take away from the order is that there are components that are geared toward bettering the lives of caregivers. Right now, professional caregivers are paid very low compared to the amount of hard work that they do. Unfortunately, part of this is the nature of the business. Margins are so low for those in the public sector that paying a competitive wage to employees is not possible. And because it happens like this in the public sector, the private sector tends to follow suit. The new order hopes to support and reinforce this.
Being able to connect those that you love with high quality care is essential for your success, too. If you currently work full-time, odds are you are not able to also care for an older (or younger) loved one around the clock. Having supports in place that allow your parent, grandparent, or child to get the attention that they need while you are in the workforce so you can continue to make a living and provide for those that you love, all while knowing that they are safe.
The order also puts safeguards in place to give family caregivers short term support. It does more to keep family caregivers in the workforce than other laws. And while some employers were already doing this, the order ensures that more companies will need to follow suit.
The end outcome of the Executive Order is not quite clear yet, but it does appear to be an add on to the massive infrastructure bill that was passed not too long ago. And just like that infrastructure bill, this order does appear to have the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community at its heart.
This won’t change our reality immediately, though. It is certainly a good start, but real lasting change needs to occur before the intent of these legal changes shines through. Hopefully, this is the start of a major change that will allow for our older and younger loved ones to be able to live their lives free of the fear of going without. Hopefully, it allows our entire country to take a big step forward when it comes to the quality of life that we experience.
If you have questions about this order, please reach out to your local politicians and let them know! That is what they are there for. Whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or something else, your politicians represent you and your interests, When a change like this occurs, it’s good to let your representatives know that it’s important to you and that you care about the outcome.
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