Hundreds of Seniors and People with Disabilities to Tell Governor: “Cutting Home Care is BLARNEY!”

(Sacramento, CA)—On St. Patrick’s Day, hundreds of California’s seniors and people with disabilities, their family members and home care providers will hold shamrocks, dress in green and rally at state budget hearings, telling the governor: “Cutting Home Care is BLARNEY!” Home care recipients and providers will sign hundreds of shamrocks to be given to Governor Schwarzenegger, to remind him of those whose lives will be devastated by his proposed home care cuts.

The governor has proposed slashing state funding for California’s in-home caregiver pay to the minimum wage and eliminating funding for benefits. This proposal will increase the already high turnover rate of home care workers as they are forced to leave their clients to find alternative work to support their families. The supply of home care workers will further diminish, making it more difficult for the 350,000 Californians who rely on home care to remain safely in their homes.

In addition to allowing seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their own homes, home care is a much cheaper alternative to institutions such as nursing homes. Care for seniors and people with disabilities forced into nursing homes will cost taxpayers five times more than in-home care.