A series in which people across the U.S. offer firsthand perspectives about how social issues impact their real lives.
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Service workers, gig workers, and hourly employees are left with a choice: Go to work and endanger yourself and others, or stay home and make no money. This choice becomes especially difficult for people who care for elderly or immunocompromised people either at home or at work. VICE asked nine workers who live with or care for elderly and/or immunocompromised people about their jobs, precautionary measures, and their ability to take time off.Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. Some last names have been omitted for privacy.
Allie Kiekhofer, 28, Los Angeles, CA
During the day, I used to work at an elementary charter school as a one-on-one behavior aide until March 12th when our school closed as a precaution for COVID-19. They guaranteed pay for salary and hourly workers for at least two weeks, which is the current length of the closure.On some weekends and days after my school job, I've worked (and continue to work) as an in-home personal care attendant (PCA) for a 25-year-old woman who has spinal muscular atrophy. I’m not an expert on SMA, but I know that she has very limited respiratory function. Just eating certain foods can give her a really bad cough. She also has a catheter, which I believe makes her immunosuppressed. I’m obviously also not an expert on COVID-19 and how it interacts with SMA, but I do know that it takes root in the lower respiratory system and disproportionately affects people who are immunosuppressed. I’m 28 with no underlying conditions—if I get sick, it will probably manifest as a cold. But if she gets sick, we both know it could be fatal.
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I’ve been especially worried about bringing germs into her home. When school was still in session, I usually drove home, changed my clothes, and washed my face, hands, and upper arms or took a full shower, if I had time. I was about as careful as I could be, but I wondered if it was a mistake for me to be taking care of someone who’s immunosuppressed while I was working at a school.Now that my school has closed, I have completely isolated myself from everyone except for my roommate, whom I rarely see anyway; the woman I work for; and anyone else who comes into her apartment (like her roommate, boyfriend, and other PCAs). I’m not even seeing my girlfriend of three years, and I don’t know when I’ll see her again.When I arrive, I put my stuff in a certain corner of the client's house and wipe down things that I touch, like the doorknobs and my keys, right when I walk in. Not gonna lie—I’m really stressed out about the other caregivers [who share duties caring for my client]. I have no idea if they’re taking any precautions. I just picked up some shifts from someone else who got sick (unrelated to COVID-19), and I imagine I may be doing more of that. The woman I work for has told me that some of her other caregivers aren’t really taking precautions, which is so frustrating because I feel like it undoes my and her efforts. I’m really worried about her and don’t know if it’s even possible to keep the virus away from her, but I’m going to keep going to work, going straight back home, and staying as sanitized as I humanly can.
Photo courtesy of Eleanor Monahan
I have worked for a woman named Jackie, who has a degenerative muscular disorder, since last year as one of several personal care attendants (PCAs) hired by the Department of Social Services. She needs to be extra careful protecting her respiratory system. We’ve been kind of joking about it because we can recognize the clear fear-mongering leading to people hoarding goods, while remaining aware of how social services might be affected. At the same time, it would not be good if Jackie contracted COVID-19, so the PCAs and I wash our hands and sanitize whenever necessary. The nice thing about working a low-paying government job for a nice person is that everyone really cares and wants to support Jackie. We’ll gladly do whatever it takes to keep her healthy and happy.
I don’t take time off work much. If I do, I make sure Jackie has adequate coverage, which means checking with her other employees in advance. There is allegedly a government service that is supposed to provide substitute PCAs in case of an emergency, but Jackie has contacted them in the past, and they have been no help. The current system through In-Home Supportive Services doesn't allow sick pay for in-home caregivers. If I had to self-quarantine, it would not be great. The financial stress it poses is more at the forefront of my mind more than the medical implications are. But we low-income people don’t really have a choice! We keep going to work, hoping for the best. Right now, I guess that just means I have to do everything I can not to have to self-quarantine.