Pauline Beck
Homecare Provider and SEIU member
Alameda, CA
For Pauline Beck, taking care of others comes naturally.
At 61, she’s a mother to three adult children, two adopted teenagers and a two-year-old great nephew. And for the last four years, she’s tirelessly cared for John Thornton as a home care provider.
Pauline first went to see John, 86, as a favor to a friend from church. Alone in his home and unable to even get himself out of bed, John was in dire need of care. “When I saw how much help Mr. John needed – therapy, house cleaning, someone to make his doctor appointments – I knew I couldn’t leave him alone,” Pauline said.
A typical day for Pauline and John starts at 6 a.m. when she drives across town to his home. John has an artificial leg and is unable to move his right side, so Pauline lifts him out of bed using a belt. She makes his breakfast, helps him take his medicine, changes his diaper and gets him dressed for the day. Then she tends to the housework – preparing future meals, doing laundry or cleaning the house.
According to John’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) allotted hours, Pauline is supposed to work 83 hours per month, ending the day at about 11 a.m. But it’s rare if she leaves before 1 p.m. That’s because John’s medicine schedule doesn’t allow him to eat lunch any earlier than that. Another homecare worker doesn’t come until the evening, so if Pauline doesn’t stay until 1 p.m., John won’t have lunch.
Pauline works five days a week. Because IHSS workers are not provided any vacation or sick time off, there would be no one to take care of John if Pauline can’t make it to his house. “So I don’t take any vacations,” she said.
But Pauline said the work doesn’t overwhelm her, and she enjoys taking care of John. “I like doing something positive, giving back,” she said.
Pauline makes $10.50 per hour as a home care provider. It’s not much, she said, especially to feed two teenagers, whom she adopted after fostering them for several years, and her two-year-old great nephew, for whom she is the legal guardian. “Thank God for the food banks,” Pauline said. “They give you meat and vegetables. Without that I wouldn’t be able to survive. I’m not too proud to go to a food bank.”
Pauline hopes that spending a day in her shoes will show Senator Barack Obama how important homecare jobs are to the clients. “Seniors and those living with disabilities really need this assistance,” she said. “It’s important for their minds and bodies that they are able to stay in their homes and live out their lives. We need to think about how we’ll want to be treated when we are that age.”