You get up in the morning. Jump in the shower. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. Brush your hair. Make coffee. Fix breakfast. Put on your coat, hat and gloves before you rush out of the house and jump in your car to drive to work.
It’s a pretty normal morning.
But, what if you needed to rely on another person to help you with each of these tasks? For many people with disabilities a personal care assistant (PCA) is a vital part of our lives. They help us do those ‘little’ tasks that make up living a full, independent life. Without the help of a PCA, I couldn’t have worked or been an active part of my community for the past 30 years.
In Minnesota right now PCA services are under scrutiny. Many people with disabilities have had their means to independence cut back. There is risk that further PCA cuts will be made this year. Why is this happening?
Minnesota’s PCA program became news when an audit revealed instances of fraud by some PCA agencies. Unfortunately, that fraud was limited to a few, but as often happens, the entire program is being made to suffer. Let’s work on fixing the oversight, but not throw the baby out with the bathwater folks.
Compared with many government programs, PCA services do much with the limited resources they’re given. The people who work as PCAs are low-paid service workers who have tough, unglamorous jobs. But, without the little things PCAs do for us, we could not do what we do. Work. Attend college. Volunteer. Be active in our communities. Pay taxes.
I encourage you to read this great TC Daily Planet article for more background on this issue. Then, please write or talk with your state legislators to convince them to preserve and even grow this vital program. This is a tough budget year, but people with disabilities have much to offer the State of Minnesota if we’re given just a little help.
It’s a good return on investment.
