The Seattle Times | August 21, 2022
“It’s not always the easiest path from ‘I am interested in this work’ to becoming a caregiver and making it through this training process,” said Lynn Kimball, the executive director of Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington. “If someone else is hiring and the wage is comparable, people often look at the closest, easiest path because that is the economic reality for us all.”
But caregivers have a constant bleeding heart, Rice said, even if that means taking a job that pays less than working at a fast-food restaurant. Still, she’s known more than a handful of people who moved to larger towns or cities where the pay is better or jobs are closer.
“I tell people every day, when you are a caregiver you know you are making a difference in somebody’s life. Without you that person wouldn’t have the food they need, they wouldn’t have your friendship or companionship,” she said. “But prepare to live in a battleground where you know you are a making a difference because there aren’t enough caregivers.”