COMMENTARY: Vets in Nevada, elsewhere deserve greater home care choices

I’ve been a home care worker for more than a decade, caring mostly for aging and disabled veterans who served in World War II. I absolutely love what I do. Military vets have put their lives on the line for us, so it’s deeply rewarding to give back to them.

But more and more, I’m seeing that — because of limited program choices and a crisis-level caregiver shortage — veterans are finding it extremely difficult to access the home care services they need. There’s an urgent need for greater home care options to ensure the well-being and dignity of those who have served our country.

My current client is a senior who was in the Air Force. Over the years we’ve built a strong relationship. I carry out all the tasks that allow him to remain living at home instead of being sent to a nursing home, including bathing, shaving and getting dressed. I give him haircuts, cook, do laundry and rub lotion into his skin because the desert air is so dry.

Home care work is very intimate, and it’s important to create trust with clients. My job involves a lot of conversation — and, most importantly, a lot of listening. It’s hard for seniors to be alone, and oftentimes home care workers are the only people they see for weeks on end. I always try to lift my client’s spirits by celebrating special occasions, such as giving him cards and gifts on his birthday.

I often worry about what my client would do without me. I’ve stuck with this job out of devotion to him, but very few people want to go into the field because it’s backbreaking work with disgracefully low wages. Despite my important role and years of experience caring for veterans, I make only $12.25 an hour. At 55 years old, I don’t have health insurance or any retirement savings.

Every day is a struggle just to keep my head above water. My car is my lifeline because I need it to get to my client’s home. But I drive a 23-year-old car that is constantly in need of repairs. Last year I had to take out credit to pay $968 for new brakes. At my wage that’s almost 100 hours of work, so I’ll be paying off that burden of debt for a very long time. I can feel the stress in my bones, and it keeps me up at night.

Because of the shortage of caregivers, many vets can’t find people to care for them at the same time that demand for services is spiraling. Nevada is home to almost 220,000 veterans, and nationally that number is more than 16 million. The veteran population is aging fast, and most would prefer to receive care in their own homes.

The Department of Veterans Affairs can address this growing problem head-on by creating a wider array of home care choices, with better wages and benefits for workers. There needs to be an added program option which would empower vets to choose their own caregiver, such as a friend or family member, while also providing clerical support for tasks such as payroll.

This additional choice should have a more centralized structure to reduce administrative costs and ensure all caregivers receive standardized training. Centralization would also allow higher pay and basic benefits to attract and retain workers over the long run.

Investing in more home care options is not only better for senior and disabled veterans, but also for taxpayers. In-home care costs significantly less because it doesn’t have the expensive overhead of nursing homes.

When veterans return from service, many of them come back very ill, both physically and mentally. They deserve to have a good quality of life for the rest of their days. We should honor them in every way we can, starting with increased access to home care services.

Rozetta Love has been caring for aging and disabled veterans for more than 10 years and lives in Las Vegas.