Bob Williams can’t always count on home health aides he to help care for his 27-year-old autistic son, Grant, who requires assistance with even the most basic activities; he can choke while eating, for example. But Williams says that 20% to 30% of the time, aides show up late to his South Jersey home, if at all. “I understand occasionally not having services, but it’s more than occasionally. I’m frustrated,” he said. Williams, who himself is disabled after neck and back surgeries, said the critical staffing shortage deeply worries him.
One report shows the number of home health aides in New Jersey plunged from about 60,000 pre-pandemic to 50,000 last year, down more than 16%. “They can get a better salary at Starbucks, at Target, at Amazon,” said Nancy Fitterer of the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey.
It’s not just a New Jersey problem. “You go to New York and Delaware and Pennsylvania, and you still can’t find anybody,” said Michael Brower, legal director of Disability Rights New Jersey.
