Gig Harbor Rotary Funds Home Care Certification Courses

It’s really rewarding but underpaid.”

Growing old in your own home, also known as aging in place, is the sincere wish of many elders.

But it is not an easy wish to fulfill. Sara Anderson, whose 86-year-old mother, Nancy Feagin, died in November 2024, struggled to help her mother stay at home as her physical and mental health declined. She needed constant assistance, and “almost burned the house down three times,” Anderson said. “At first, I would hire anyone who answered my call; later, I was able to choose more carefully. Friends and family were able to fill in for a while.”

Anderson encountered many of the difficulties others on the Key Peninsula face: caregiving agencies unable to find caregivers who will drive to the KP, and very high fees for services. Anderson needed to be available at all times in case there were problems or a coverage gap while running her business.

Increasing health challenges and declining cognitive abilities are common as people age. The inability to drive, cook, or bathe oneself is self are distressing and sometimes dangerous. Tasks that were once easily accomplished become difficult or impossible. Changing sheets, washing bedding, and making a bed is strenuous work. It is next to impossible for someone using a walker.

The so-called “silver tsunami” of those born between 1946 and 1964 is overwhelming the younger generation’s ability to provide care. According to the website Asbestos.com, 20 million seniors and people with disabilities currently need long-term care, with 800,000 on waiting lists because of worker shortages.

In Washington State, 92,400 people are employed as caregivers, with an average wage of $21.09 an hour. There are 12 caregivers available for every 1,000 seniors or disabled persons. The average profile for caregivers is a 53-year-old woman, in her position for two years or more. But low wages, few advancement opportunities, no health insurance, and strenuous workloads are causes of rapid job turnover.

These challenges are familiar ground for many residents of the Key Peninsula. “There is a national shortage of caregivers, and we are feeling that here,” said Eric Blegen, executive director of The Mustard Seed Project in Key Center, a nonprofit founded to provide elder care.

“If we are lucky, we are all going to get old. We will all need help at some point.” Julie Crane, Program Manager at TMSP for the past four years, said a majority of callers to the information and referral desk ask about caregivers, equal to calls about transportation.

Volunteer and transportation manager Madysen McClain, a local Rotary club member, began to discuss the need with TMSP staff and her fellow Rotarians in the Gig Harbor morning group.

By the fall of 2024, TMSP decided it could do something and formed a partnership with the Gig Harbor Morning Rotary group to provide classes for those wanting to become certified home care aides.

Joe Hillyer, CEO of Homewatch Caregivers, a Rotarian and longtime supporter of TMSP, helped spearhead the effort to bring home care aide classes to the Key Peninsula. “The need for caregiving is dire, the shortage is critical. One out of three people will have a type of dementia, and we will have to change our lives to help. Seven out of ten people will need caregiver help.”

Known as the Caregiver Academy, the first class on the KP began in the fall of 2024 with five students. A second class finished in the spring. The classes are paid for by the Rotary Club of Gig Harbor.

Caregiver Kerry Stolberg has been a certified home care aide for more than a year. She worked without a certification before that, but was able to make more money with her certification. Long-term care insurance pays a higher wage for certified caregivers.

“I like caregiving for just one person and family,” Stolbeg said. “You can really do good work. It’s like a team effort with a family. It’s really rewarding but underpaid.”

Blegen said that 11 of the 32 residents living at the Mustard Seed Village rely on Medicaid, although the specifics of future federal cuts remain unknown.

“I’ve been anxiously awaiting details on that,” he said. “It sounds like most of the cuts will affect younger people who are working age. Federal support for the Affordable Care Act to states sounds like it’s going away. Washington State allocations could be significantly reduced and might affect our elders.”

Many patients and caregivers are enrolled in Medicaid for support in various ways. Caregivers may receive pay through a Medicaid program or health insurance for themselves.

When paid caregivers are not available, families step up as best they can.

One in five Americans is an unpaid caregiver — that’s 53 million people — an invisible national workforce for long-term care. Family caregivers provide an average of 35 hours per week of care. More than four million of those receive Medicaid, the only source of support available, helping people with complex medical needs to remain in their homes rather than face institutional care. These services include respite care for exhausted caregivers, transportation, adult day care, and training programs for special caregiving skills.

Many recipients are already working, or working full-time as caregivers for family members without a paycheck, according to a recent report in The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based publication. Caregiving at home saves approximately $100,000 a year per patient by eliminating institutional care.

Despite challenging news for patients and families, a report on caregivers in 2024 published by the Washington Aging and Long-Term Support Administration concluded that “The caregiver workforce in Washington State is comprised of highly motivated people who care deeply about their clients and take great pride in their work. This is reflected in the aspects of caregiving ranked as most enjoyable, and in their intention to stay in the role ‘as long as my client needs me.’ These individual qualities can be the foundation of a thriving workforce culture.”