Tax Credits Could Be Worth Thousands To Direct Care Workers

According to a PHI, tax credits could be worth thousands to Direct Care Workers

An article in the latest copy of Quality Jobs/ Quality Care states:

If you're a direct-care worker or you work with direct-care workers, you might want to help spread the word about the earned income tax credit (EITC). Direct-care workers who file a federal tax return this season could be eligible for thousands of dollars in state and federal credits and refunds, mainly through the federal EITC, which will return up to $4,716 per person to eligible low-income taxpayers. As much as a quarter of all EITC funds go unclaimed each year because so many people don't know they're entitled to them.

Workers who file a federal return may also be eligible for an EITC from their state or for one of the economic stimulus payments being made this year by the federal government. The economic stimulus payments will generally range from $300 to $600 for individuals and from $600 to $1,200 for joint filers, plus $300 for each qualifying child.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities website has a useful section on thenational EITC. Its online toolkit includes a calculator to estimate how much of a return to expect, tips on how to get taxes prepared free of charge, how to file electronically to get your money back fast, and more.

Another useful website is I-CAN, an online tax filing system that helps low-income taxpayers file their federal forms free of charge and includes information about the EITC. Taxpayers in California, Michigan, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania can also file their state taxes free through I-CAN."

Coach Broyles' Playbook

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the PA Direct Care Workers met on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at the United Way Building.

The group discussed a number of items, including this blog.

One member shared that she clicked on the Coach Broyles' Playbook for Alzheimer's Caregivers link at the right. She ordered several copies of the playbook and felt it was an excellent resource for families of newly diagnosed clients, as well as Direct Care Workers themselves. Up to three copies of the books will be sent to requesters FREE OF CHARGE by the Alzheimer's Association. Click the link to order your copies today!

Win a $50 Gift Card!

LVAA is holding a special drawing to encourage people to contribute articles for the blog. Any Direct Care Worker or manager who contributes a personal post (aka, not a job posting) by April 1st, will be entered in a drawing for a $50 Wawa gift certificate.

Here are the rules:
1. Write a short article, more than 50 words, less than 500, that deals with Direct Care Work.
2. Email it to corir@unitedwayglv.org
3. Include in the email if you would like your post to be anonymous or if we can mention you by name.
4. Provide contact information in case you win!

Best of luck!

Direct Care Worker Association Meeting Today!

The next Lehigh Valley Chapter Meeting of the PA Direct Care Worker Association will be held today:

DATE: Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
TIME: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
LOCATION: United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
2200 Avenue A, 3rd Floor Conference Room West
Bethlehem, PA 18017

We appreciate all the support many have provided thus far and we invite all direct care workers to join us to better provide best practice strategies that will improve the lives of all older adults in the Lehigh Valley. Any Direct Care Worker or Manager is invited to attend -- there is no need to preregister or pay any fee.

Another Valentine's Day Story

Here is another Valentine's Day story from a worker on the front lines of providing care (again, client names have been changed):


We have a resident on our Alzhiemer's unit that talks about preparing for Valentine's Day. His name is "Ned" and his wife is passed away. In group activities or simulation from the decorations he will begin to talk about his wife. He speaks of her as if she is alive and well. Ned says she is his "darling Valentine" and wants to order flowers and buy her candy. The staff have a hard time with redirecting him because it is not our practice to bring our residents to reality we are very creative with communication and do not want to say she is gone. It is wonderful to hear him talk about how much he loves her and how he would be treating her still today at Valentine's Day.....


Jessica Wilson

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is a sweet Valentine's Day story from a member of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Direct Care Workers Association (all names have been changed to protect the client's rights):


May is a 96 year old woman living at my facility with Alzhiemer's. When asked about how she spent her Valentines Day throughout her life, she tells stories of baking heart cookies, making homemade chocolates and doing heart crafts with her "boys". She can only sometimes recall their names but in her stories they are always between 6 years old and 10 years old. Staff see her "boys" regularly, they are a very loving and close family. We share her stories with them and they usually confirm that what she is saying is true except, of course, their ages. May lives in that time frame of her life because, we believe, that is when she loved and felt loved the most. The staff around her remember at this Valentine season. It is the small things that fill your heart.

Pam Jago

Work for SarahCare!

SarahCare Adult Day Service

Are you having fun at work? Come work in an stimulating and fun environment!

Seeking flexible, reliable part-time Activity Assistant
12-6pm Monday-Friday, Saturday hours available

QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum 18 years of age, high school diploma or equivalency, benefit of experience in activity, crafts, music and recreational activities. The ability to redirect clients, working as a team, developing and planning for the month of activities. Ability to lift 30 lbs, computer skills and documentation experience needed.

Spanish language, blood pressures or medication course a plus.

Call Deb Miller Executive Director @ 610-391-1576 or fax resume to: 484-223-3132

Work for SarahCare!

SarahCare Adult Day Service

Are you having fun at work? Come work in an stimulating and fun environment!

Seeking flexible, reliable part-time Activity Assistant
12-6pm Monday-Friday, Saturday hours available

QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum 18 years of age, high school diploma or equivalency, benefit of experience in activity, crafts, music and recreational activities. The ability to redirect clients, working as a team, developing and planning for the month of activities. Ability to lift 30 lbs, computer skills and documentation experience needed.

Spanish language, blood pressures or medication course a plus.

Call Deb Miller Executive Director @ 610-391-1576 or fax resume to: 484-223-3132

Work for Home Instead Senior Care

Bring a smile to the elderly!

Help brighten the lives of elderly in our community. Provide non-medical companionship and home care services to help seniors remain at home for as long as possible. Flexible hours.

We are always hiring!

Home Instead Senior Care of the Lehigh Valley
610-770-7773

What Workers Want

A list in the first newsletter published by the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association summarized what workers at an inaugural meeting said they wanted their association to do for them:

• Empower us to preserve human dignity
• Help us address issues like continuity of care and short staffing
• Give affirmation
• Help us make changes
• Provide comraderie
• Other people will view us as professionals
• Other people with see us as valuable
• Other people will see the people we serve as valuable, including older people and people with disabilities, both children and adults
• Our voices could be solidified (and unified) and people would listen

And what would the workers tell peopl, once they had their ear? "Pay us what we're worth," the list concludes. "Treat us better in other ways also -- give us more positive feedback."

Lake Research Partners

We have received several phone calls from Direct Care Workers regarding a letter they received in the mail from Lake Research Partners.

An LVAA staff member called Lake Research Partners and it does appear that the survey is legitimate. Lake Research Partners sent the following statement:

If you are a direct care worker and recently received a notice asking you to respond to a survey about health care coverage, it is a legitimate survey. The survey is being conducted by the State of Pennsylvania is order to better understand the needs of direct care workers when it comes to health insurance. Your participation is very important so please take the few minutes to respond.

LVAA and United Way of the GLV does not directly endorse the survey, but can verify that Lake Research Partners appears to be a valid research facility. As always, please remember not to provide your bank account numbers or social security numbers to anyone conducting research.

Work for the 3rd Street Alliance in Easton!

Sharing the Caring Adult Day Services Center, run by 3rd Street Alliance in Easton, is looking for a part-time Program Aide.

QUALIFICATIONS: Minimum 18 years of age, high school diploma or equivalency, ability to participate in music, art, and recreational activities, ability to relate well with others, ability to work as a member of a team, and the ability to lift a minimum of 30 pounds.

Responsibilities:

Program Aides are responsible for executing planned daily activities and providing necessary assistance to the clients; assisting Activities Coordinator in planning for the month; and for documenting client activities and performance levels. Also assists clients with activities of daily living such as eating, grooming, & toileting; assists in providing sensory stimulation and therapeutic activities to the clients.

Days & Time: M-F from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM.

If you are interested please contact Mahpareh Fakhraie, Director

610-258-6271
610-258-2112 Fax
mfakhraie@thirdstreetalliance.org

Mahpareh Fakhraie is an active member of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Direct Care Workers Association and supports our efforts to improve the lives of Direct Care Workers.

Beginnings and Endings

Welcome to the first post of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the PA Direct Care Workers Association blog!

Hello. My name is Danielle Frank. I’m a board member of the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association, a founding member of the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Direct Care Workers Association and I have worked in health care for the last 33 years.

Being a caregiver is a call for me. I have worked 17 years in hospitals and 16 years doing home care. (I like the home care better because I can give all my attention to my client).

My job is very rewarding to me. I know I can make a difference in the lives of my clients – some times my love and care is the only thing they have. In all my years of work, I have very good memories. But, being a Direct Care Worker is a job full of beginnings and endings. We meet new clients and we lose clients. Then, we start again with other clients. Each ending becomes a new beginning. And each time, it feels like a part of me goes with him or her. I have to thank my work in health care because it made me a much better warm and loving person. The strength that I have comes from my work.

As we begin this blog, I would like to share a wonderful ending memory that I have. My client was a wonderful, loving, still-young man that was terminal with lung cancer he got while working in a submarine with the Navy. We were introduced and his smile was contagious. His wife had been blinded by her diabetes several years earlier. She was cold and mean, but he never spoke to her without calling her, “dear.” Towards the end, I would say to myself, “Please God. Don’t let him die on my shift.”

One Saturday morning as I was leaving, I went to tell him that I would see him that night. He asked me to get near him and he gave me a kiss. He said, “God made you special. Remember, I will always be looking for you. I will be your guardian angel. Just look in the sky and I will be looking down on you.” I guess he knew he was close to dying. I couldn’t hold back my tears because I knew it too. I knew he was leaving me.

As I drove home, right after I left, he passed away. I got the phone call when I walked in the door. A week later, I received a nice letter with this poem:

God Bless the Caregiver

A caregiver’s life is marked by devotion
Her time is rarely her own.
Her days are a mix of every emotion,
And sometimes she feels so alone.

Her manner is gentle and ever-forgiving,
She knows all the right things to say.
Her presence inspires a “purpose for living,”
She has such a nurturing way.

A caregiver’s heart is full of compassion,
And it comes across in her deeds.
She demonstrates love and knows how to “fashion”
Sweet moments that everyone needs.

And if there’s a place where “good” is rewarded,
Where kindness and patience have worth,
You can be sure – the Lord has recorded,
All the joy that she’s spread on this earth!

I framed the poem and I look at it every day. I know he is watching over me and protecting me. My life is to be a caregiver and I’m so proud of it. I hope that you are proud too, because what you do is so important and valuable for the community. May this blog be the beginning of many wonderful things.