Ventura County Supervisors Cannot Give Up on Seniors & Disabled

On Tuesday, February 27, Supervisor Bennett, Supervisor Parks, Supervisor Long, Supervisor Foy, and Supervisor Zaragoza will have one question to respond to: How much are Ventura County's seniors and people with disabilities worth to you?

In the next 12 years, Ventura County's senior population will be 243,000, a 77% increase since 2010. This is a jump that Ventura County is not ready for and whose needs the county continuously fails to address. The county's failure is evident in their refusal to protect and invest in the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program by providing a fair wage increase to the caregivers the program employs. IHSS caregivers help seniors and people with disabilities live independently and safely in their own home instead of being institutionalized. However, this workforce is struggling to survive making $12.50 an hour with no health insurance. Before taxes, IHSS caregivers working full-time make $2,000 a month. To put in perspective, a single adult in Ventura County needs at least $2,568 a month to make ends meet, and that number more than doubles if you have a child.

Simply put, IHSS caregivers are struggling to provide the quality care that is expected of them as they are unable to put food on their table and pay their bills with the wages they make.

VENTURA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Seniors, people with disabilities, and their caregivers need your help.

These are the faces of some of your neighbors who depend on the IHSS program:

MARIA ALVAREZ AND HER SON, ALEX

Alex was born mentally handicapped but 6 years ago he had an accident where he choked on his food and suffocated. Now he can't speak, eat, or walk. Alex is bedridden and needs his mom to help lift him in and out of bed to groom him, bathe him, and avoid bedsores. Weighing 190 pounds, lifting him is a tough task for his mom, Maria, who is his full-time caregiver but it's a task that she has learned to live with because she knows that without her Alex would end up institutionalized.

LILIANA RAMIREZ AND HER NEIGHBOR, MOANA

Moana was in a convalescent home for 2 years and then struggled to live on her own in her home as she could barely walk. She fell into severe depression, neglecting herself and eating expired food. Without family around to help, Moana turned to her neighbor, Liliana, for support. Liliana helps Moana with her therapy, cooks, and cleans for her. After much support, Moana's depression went away and she is much stronger.

CECILIA LOPEZ AND IVAN & HIS WIFE

For Ivan and his wife, Cecilia has become family. His wife is physically disabled and he can't lift heavy objects on his own so Cecilia does housekeeping for them, administers medication, and even helps Ivan's wife when she has bowel movements. Unable to afford a private caregiver, Ivan depends on the IHSS program to live as independently as possible in his own home with his wife.