Accepting Nominations for Direct Care Worker of the Year

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging is currently accepting nominations for the Direct Care Worker of the Year Award. We thank you for participating in this award which will recognize the outstanding work of home care aides throughout the Commonwealth. Please contact Rocco Claroni at 717-772-2932 or rclaroni@state.pa.us if you have any questions.

Please email Sue at suen@unitedwayglv.org to get more information on nominating one of your workers!

Voice Institute Class Sums Up Experience in One Word

The Voices Institute NLP Class of 2009 summed up their Voices Institute experiences in one word.  Read the links below to see how each of the members answered:

BELIEF

Connie Kreider's word was BELIEF.  Click here to read why and comment.



TEAMWORK

D. Alex Chuang's word was TEAMWORK.  Click here to read why and comment.



ENLIGHTENING

Pat Downing's word was ENLIGHTENING.  Click here to read why and comment.



INCREDIBLE

Tracy Dudzinski's word was INCREDIBLE.  Click here to read why and comment.



AWESOME

Brenda Nachtway's word was AWESOME.  Click here to read why and comment.

Report on Status of PA Direct Care Workers

Click here to view the report.

PA Nurse Aide Becomes King

KASESE, Uganda – For years, Charles Wesley Mumbere worked as a nurse's aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania, caring for the elderly and sick. No one there suspected that he had inherited a royal title in his African homeland when he was just 13.

On Monday, after years of political upheaval and financial struggle, Mumbere, 56, was finally crowned king of his people to the sound of drumbeats and thousands of cheering supporters wearing cloth printed with his portraits.

At a public rally later in the day, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni officially recognized the 300,000-strong Rwenzururu Kingdom. Museveni restored the traditional kingdoms his predecessor banned in 1967, but has been adamant that kings restrict themselves to cultural duties and keep out of politics.

"It is a great moment to know that finally the central government has understood the demands of the Bakonzo people who have been seeking very hard for recognition of their identity," Mumbere told The Associated Press in the whitewashed single-story building that serves as a palace.

Click here for the full story.

Study Finds Home Health Aides Particularly Vulnerable to Labor Law Violations

Most low-wage workers put in some unpaid overtime, but home health aides are particularly likely not to be paid, according to a new study. “Home health care workers are especially vulnerable to violations, both because of the nature of the job and because they’re not fully covered by the protections that most of us take for granted,” said Annette Bernhardt, the policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project and one of the co-authors of Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers: Violations of Employment and Labor Laws in America’s Cities.


The report is based on a survey of 4,387 workers in low-wage industries in the three largest U.S. cities—Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. It found that employment and labor laws are “regularly and systematically violated” in home health care and other low-wage work settings.

Click here to view the full story.