Mom of Young Woman with FTD Writes About Need for Quality In-Home Care

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A New Hampshire newspaper featured an editorial on June 5 emphasizing the importance of quality in-home caregiver services, especially for families impacted by young-onset dementia.

Jamie Villers, a nurse supervisor from Concord, wrote an editorial in the Concord Monitor detailing the difficulties sheโ€™s endured in finding suitable in-home care for her 31-year-old daughter, Alyssa, who has FTD.

Villers chronicled Alyssaโ€™s journey toward her FTD diagnosis and the changes that she and her family have undergone in the process.

โ€œAs her condition worsened, we were no longer able to leave her home alone safely. I had to move to a place that would suit both of us so she could live with me. I work full time, so I needed to find her a home caregiver during the day,โ€ Villers said. โ€œUnfortunately, the caregiving industry is underfunded and also understaffed. This lack of investment not only affects their own families but also the families who want to hire them.โ€

The quality of home care is directly tied to poor working conditions in the field. Villers wrote: โ€œOn average, home care workers make $17,000 a year and many do not get paid sick time, vacation time, or affordable healthcare.โ€

Her lack of access to a full-time caregiver for her daughter has taken a toll on her own work life, Villers said.

โ€œAs a nurse supervisor, I often have to pick up slack at work. I might have to fill in for a sick staff member, but then I get a phone call from home about Alyssa and I have to leave abruptly. Not having caregivers has damaged how Iโ€™m seen by my employees. It makes me look unreliable,โ€ she wrote.

While Villers has been able to find a consistent caregiver for Alyssa, the caregiver cannot work full-basis due to the high demand for in-home care.

Read Jamie Villerโ€™s full editorial here.

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