Henrietta Ivey, Detroit, MI, licensed pharmacy technician, started out as a family caregiver then her paid PCA work grew by word-of-mouth. For her, it is all about the love and compassion she gives, the relationships she develops with her clients, and knowing she’s made someone’s life better. She hopes someone will be compassionate enough to help her out one day.
Henrietta takes pride in doing her job well and refers to herself as a homecare professional. She bristles at being called “the maid” or a “glorified butt wiper” and points out that home care and CNA work are similar. Yet, CNAs don’t get called derogatory names because they have recognized credentials and do their work in an institutional setting. They also make more money.
Henrietta has become a staunch activist, fighting for home care workers’ rights to a living wage, benefits and more respect. She has been told by policy makers, “This is not a real job that you do. Get a real job.” to which she responds, “We’re part of the healthcare system so it would be nice for someone to finally recognize, these are real workers. We should not have to be ridiculed or disrespected because of the choices that we make on what we’re trying to do to help other people.”