Full Life Home Care Aide takes us to the front lines

Home Care Aide Shazia Anwar heading out to visit a client Monday, May 11.

Our Home Care Aides haven’t been able to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. They remain on the front lines, caring for clients in their homes. And this week Seattle Times readers got to meet one of them – Shazia Anwar.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/they-care-for-people-round-the-clock-in-washington-state-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-lets-not-forget-them/

Shazia is deeply involved in the home care universe. She is a member of the the SEIU 775 bargaining team advocating for all of our represented employees at Full Life. She also sits on the SEIU 775 Executive Board, helping shape policy decisions for the more than 40,000 Home Care Aides across the state.

“I have had the great fortune of getting to know Shazia over the last few years, and her dedication to her clients and our mission is immeasurable,” said Full Life VP Operations, Scott Slater. “I always see Shazia in Olympia as we work together for funding in the legislature.”

Shazia’s story is important because it represents the situation all home care aides currently face, working long hours and struggling to be recognized as essential to the overall public health effort, especially during this pandemic.

When the state Department of Health first prioritized in March who would get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the

Home Care Aide Susana Sanchez deGomez

Home Care Aide Josefina Costales

pandemic, home care workers were left off the list entirely. Advocacy from Full Life and other stakeholders succeeded in finally getting care givers included, but we still are challenged with supplying our care givers with masks, gloves and other protective gear.

In the meantime, volunteers continue to donate time and sewing skills to supply our home care aides with homemade masks that they wear proudly.

Director of Home Care Services Gregory Schaffer said Monday, “We have a supply of PPE that we’ve been distributing to caregivers, including hand sanitizer, soap, gloves, and have cloth masks upon request  thanks to staff sourcing from our network of suppliers, friends and volunteer groups.”