The rapidly aging U.S. population is resulting in increased prevalence of chronic disease and the need for support at home where most older adults want to live. Families often provide care but sometimes need help. Home Care Workers (HCWs) provide the bulk of paid, in-home care, offering highly skilled assistance with tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating. HCWs affect quality of life and clinical outcomes but there is a shortage of qualified workers in part because they continue to be marginalized. Most HCWs struggle on the economic edge with unsustainable labor conditions.
Critical Lifelines: Portraits and Stories of Home Care Workers is a project undertaken by gerontologist Dr. Clare Luz with assistance from folklorist and Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP) director Dr. Marsha MacDowell, funded by an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The goal is to document the experiences of HCWS across the state of Michigan. The team reached out with a digital invitation early in 2018. Those who responded were eager to share stories of their lives and work.
Thirty individuals were selected representing the widest possible range of geography and demographics. Clare Luz, Principal Investigator, and Khalid Ibrahim, photographer, then traveled across Michigan, interviewing and photographing each participant. The stories collected reveal the joys and hardships of the work of HCWs and underscore why we cannot afford to ignore this critical workforce any longer. COVID-19 has made it crystal clear how essential these workers are as they provide hands-on care for frail older adults and persons with disabilities in multiple settings.
Our team has just submitted grants to both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services to make these materials and images accessible through the construction of a digital platform. Grant support would allow for follow-up interviews with original participants and documentation of HCWs in Detroit, an area which has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. These grants would also support the documentation of visual artists responding to this global health crisis through the creation of masks and quilts, telling stories through material culture.
_____
Project Website: click here
State: Michigan
Category: Education, Health & Wellbeing, Social Justice, Underserved Community Outreach, Youth services
Critical Lifelines: Portraits and Stories of Home Care Workers is a project undertaken by gerontologist Dr. Clare Luz with assistance from folklorist and Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP) director Dr. Marsha MacDowell, funded by an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The goal is to document the experiences of HCWS across the state of Michigan. The team reached out with a digital invitation early in 2018. Those who responded were eager to share stories of their lives and work.
Thirty individuals were selected representing the widest possible range of geography and demographics. Clare Luz, Principal Investigator, and Khalid Ibrahim, photographer, then traveled across Michigan, interviewing and photographing each participant. The stories collected reveal the joys and hardships of the work of HCWs and underscore why we cannot afford to ignore this critical workforce any longer. COVID-19 has made it crystal clear how essential these workers are as they provide hands-on care for frail older adults and persons with disabilities in multiple settings.
Our team has just submitted grants to both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Museum and Library Services to make these materials and images accessible through the construction of a digital platform. Grant support would allow for follow-up interviews with original participants and documentation of HCWs in Detroit, an area which has been greatly impacted by COVID-19. These grants would also support the documentation of visual artists responding to this global health crisis through the creation of masks and quilts, telling stories through material culture.
_____
Project Website: click here
State: Michigan
Category: Education, Health & Wellbeing, Social Justice, Underserved Community Outreach, Youth services