9-27-2019 Handout Elder Boom Worker Shortage

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Lagasse's mother broke her back in May and died in June. Her father suffered a stroke in July. The nursing home near her has no open beds, so she drives an hour every day to care for her ailing father after spending months caring for her mother. Lagasse has not been able to read a book, go canoeing or take care of her 1 -year-old Shetland puppy, Paddy, since her mother first got sick. Lagasse, a physical education teacher, and her three siblings cannot afford the cost of 24/7 care, although Medicare temporarily covered her father's hospitalization. "I love them. I love them dearly," Lagasse, 55, says of her parents. "I just wish this weren't so hard." 'Just not enough people' Over the past two years, Marl, Honey's rare form of muscular dystrophy has proved so debilitating that he has lost control of his hands, legs and arms. Living alone in the small town of Ellsworth, Maine; Honey, 63, has for about 18 months looked for a nursing home where he can receive 24-hour care. But with nursing homes across Maine closing at an unprecedented rate, Honey has been unsuccessful. Medicaid pays for a care aide to come to his home for 7o hours a week. But the state has told Honey it cannot find enough workers to cover the hours, even though he legally qualifies for the care. Care workers in Maine were paid about $11.37 an hour in 2017, according to an AARP report, with a 2019 minimum wage of $11 an hour. As Kristi Penny, who has cared for Honey for four years, noted over the phone: "Even Dunkin' Donuts pays you more." Honey said he lives in fear of one of the caretakers getting sick and quitting or finding another job. "When you're confined to a bed, there's not much you can work with," Honey said. "It only