Washington, DC (April 20, 2023) – The National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCOA) issues the following statement in response to the Executive Order issued by the Biden-Harris administration on April 18, 2023. The Executive Order includes more than 50 directives and requires nearly every cabinet-level agency to expand access to affordable, high-quality care, in addition to providing support for care workers and family caregivers.
According to a statement released by the White House, these changes respond to the need presented by many families and individuals in the United States who have difficulty accessing affordable, high-quality care. In addition, many professional caregivers work in poor working conditions, are underpaid and have limited benefits. Caregivers, mostly women of color, struggle to make ends meet, their income is limited, and many face challenges due to a lack of support, training, and respite opportunities.
In that regard, NHCOA applauds the new modifications to the Family Caregivers, Early Educators, and Long-Term Care Workers in the 2024 fiscal year budget. This will ensure significant new federal investments to transform health care and caregiving in this country.
Among the updates is a commitment to improving the quality of employment for long-term care workers, so that Americans can get high-quality, reliable care, whether in their homes, communities, or nursing homes. Also, it includes support for family caregivers, ensuring adequate resources so that their caregiving duties do not take a toll on their physical and emotional health and well-being, nor become a financial burden. In addition, the new changes are intended to promote the rights of domestic workers, as caregivers should be supported, valued and fairly compensated, and should have the free and fair option to join a union.
This Executive Order will consider issuing several regulations and guidance documents to improve the quality of home care jobs. The Order considers testing a new model of dementia care, which will include support for respite care (short-term help to give the primary family caregiver a break), making it easier for family caregivers to access information from Medicare beneficiaries, and providing more support to family caregivers during the hospital discharge planning process.
The actions presented in this new Executive Order are based on the 2022 National Strategy to Support Caregivers. NHCOA celebrates and appreciates the commitment of the Biden-Harris Administration to improving quality and dignified conditions for long-term workers and family caregivers. It is certainly an initiative that will improve the quality of life for both caregivers and care recipients. The new measures will provide the necessary protection of workers’ rights and ensure that their responsibilities are valued.
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