A Project of the PCA Quality Home Care Workforce Council How ILCs can Support the Recruitment and Retention of the PCA Workforce A Project of the PCA Quality Home Care Workforce Council Lisa Marschke, MS Lisa Sirois, EdD, LICSW Manager Executive Director PCA Recruitment and Retention Project PCA Quality Homecare Workforce Council

Presentation Goals List the primary causes of turnover among PCAs Provide a PCA Recruitment and Retention program overview Describe the successes and challenges from the first year of the pilot Share ways that ILC staff can participate in the project Brainstorm strategies to integrate elements of the program within other ILCs Explain Identify Discuss Review Compare Summarize Describe Examine

PCA Workforce Council Mission To insure the quality of long-term, in-home, personal care by recruiting, training and stabilizing the work force of personal care attendants.

Title XVII Chapter 118E Massachusetts General Laws Section 72. (a) The workforce council shall carry out the following duties: (1) Undertake recruiting efforts to identify and recruit prospective personal care attendants;

25-Hour Pre-Employment Preparation Provide pre-employment fundamentals (10 hours) Independent Living Confidentiality, Rights, and Ethics Infection Control and Universal Precautions Communication Professionalism CPR and First Aid certification (10 hours) Career Readiness (5 hours) Profile on Rewarding Work website Resume and cover letter practice Interview skills practice The PCA R&R project was designed to increase the number of new PCAs prepared to assist MassHealth consumers to live independently Develop and implement a recruitment strategy Screen and enroll participants Provide pre-employment preparedness opportunity Evaluate project outcomes

Rationale for Program Length 2010- demonstration grants awarded ABCs for Direct Care Workers developed Prepared PCAs and/or Home Care Aids This 60-hour curriculum was too long New curriculum only includes essential skills for PCAs CPR and First Aid certification was added Career Readiness skills and strategies ABCs for Direct Care Workers is a 60-hour curriculum Prepared people to be either PCAs and/or Home Care Aids This 60-hour curriculum was too long The curriculum was reduced to 10-hours, and only includes essential skills for PCAs.

PCA Turnover Conflict, poor communication, burnout – 45% Consumer passed away or moved – 19% Low wages, lack of benefits – 15% Changes in childcare/transportation/housing for PCA – 11% Conflict, poor communication, burnout – 45% Consumer passed away or moved – 19% Low wages, lack of benefits – 15% Changes in childcare/transportation/housing for PCA – 11%

Initial Partnerships Last year some asked a great question-why don’t you have any ILCs involved? We do now!!

Partnership Evolution Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled Center for Living and Working Independence Associates Northeast Independent Living Program STAVROS Southeast Center for Independent Living MA Rehabilitation Commission Department of Transitional Assistance Department of Mental Health Work Inc.

Preliminary Findings Variable Number Attended information session 283 Enrolled in the program 214 Completed the program 175 Participated in the follow-up phone survey 8 weeks later 70 Managing a Rewarding Work profile Actively looking for PCA work or more PCA hours 59 Employed as PCA, at least part-time 13 Providing information sessions at local community colleges in partnership with career centers, independent living centers, Rewarding Work, Inc, Home Care Training Benefit, and the 1199 SEIU.

Benefits of ILC Participation How else can we integrate elements of the program within other ILCs to make the partnerships mutually beneficial? Who can think of reasons why participating in this program is beneficial?? (Let’s hear from members of the current partners…)

Lisa Sirois, EdD, LICSW Executive Director  PCA Workforce Council Lisa.Sirois@state.ma.us Lisa Marschke, MS Manager, PCA Recruitment and Retention Program UMass Medical School Lisa.Marschke@umassmed.edu