In the Know
“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.”
-Rosalyn Carter
As the COVID-19 crisis grinds on, there is not a single person left unaffected, especially the frontline professional caregivers who go out every day to care for people in their homes. No doubt, the responsibility for keeping both your caregivers and your clients safe from coronavirus weighs heavily on you.
As you know, most caregivers work at or below minimum wage. Not only do they live paycheck to paycheck, but one missed day of pay could be the difference between having a roof over their heads and being homeless. It could mean their children go without food.
Most caregivers do not receive paid sick leave. This means that caregivers who can’t afford to take time off for sickness may feel compelled to go to work even if they are sick or risk losing everything. Some may try to deny or hide their symptoms, so they don’t get sent home. And that leaves vulnerable clients in danger. Don’t let this happen to your caregivers (and the clients in their care).
Relief is available.
Reach out to the Small Business Administration to learn
about a new loan program called the Paycheck Protection Program.
According to the SBA:
- Eligible small businesses may qualify for a loan
to cover 8 weeks of payroll plus an additional 25% of that amount. - No collateral or personal guaranty is required
for the loan. - Loan payments will be deferred for six months.
- If you maintain your workforce, SBA will forgive
the portion of the loan proceeds that are used to cover the first 8 weeks of
payroll and certain other expenses following loan origination.
What does the future hold?
It’s impossible to predict when this crisis will end and what the aftermath may be. But for certain, the way you care for your caregivers will have an impact on your recruitment efforts and your caregiver retention rate for a long time after this virus is behind us.
Get Your FREE Coronavirus Training
We care about the health of all caregivers and the clients they serve. That’s why we made two important infection control courses available to you COMPLETELY FREE!
If you are a current ITK customer . . . Login to your portal HERE. Search your catalog for “Understanding Coronavirus” and assign it to your entire team.
Not an ITK e-learning subscriber? Click HERE to request the free course
