People With Disabilities Find The Coronavirus Has Cut Them Off From Caregivers, Chronic Shortage

'People With Disabilities Find The Coronavirus Has Cut Them Off From Their Caregivers,' NPR, June 16, 2020. Wisconsin Public Radio.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Stacy Ellingen, 34, of Oshkosh, Wis., lost two of the three caregivers she depends on to dress, shower, eat and use the bathroom. The caregivers — both University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh students — returned to their parents' homes when the university canceled in-person classes. Ellingen, who lives with complications from cerebral palsy, had little choice but to do the same — moving back to her parents' home in Fond du Lac.

Matt Ford, whose arms and legs are paralyzed, already lived with his 76-year-old father, his primary caregiver, in a specially designed house in Verona. One of Ford's other caregivers decided to move into the basement for a while, since it was easier for her to quarantine at his house, rather than to come and go and risk the chance that she would transmit the virus to Ford. Jason Endres asked his care workers to stay away from the home he shares with his wife Julie in Eau Claire. With masks hard to come by, Endres feared the caregivers could inadvertently spread the deadly virus, ravaging his lungs, which already had been weakened by spina bifida.

The novel coronavirus, which has infected nearly 13,000 Wisconsinites, has exposed vulnerabilities in the state's health care systems, including those designed to serve older people and disabled residents. Before the pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers in 2019 created a state task force to address a chronic shortage of caregivers. A report released in February described a "crisis" in the direct care workforce, with 20,655 vacant positions in Wisconsin's long-term-care facilities and residential settings, and an average workforce vacancy rate of nearly 26%.

The pandemic is adding hurdles for residents with disabilities who need caregivers to live and work independently. These visiting aides take on demanding duties and are typically paid about $12 an hour in Wisconsin.
Clients with disabilities and their caregivers are weighing tough choices about how to keep each other safe during close interactions, especially as protective equipment continues to be scarce. Some caregivers have stuck around, others have quit. And many clients who lose their caregivers also lose independence...

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https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/16/875944357/people-with-disabilities-find-the-coronavirus-has-cut-them-off-from-their-caregi