Illinois Candidates Shadow Home Care Workers
(L-R) Personal assistant Katrina Nathans, client Mildred Davis, Illinois State Senate candidate Steve Stadelman
Four candidates for the Illinois legislature spent time alongside home care workers in February to learn more about the issues faced by both workers and consumers.
The candidates included three contenders to become the Democratic State Senate nominee representing Illinois’s 34th district: Dan Lewandowski, Steve Stadelman, and Marla Wilson.
“It was a great opportunity to see the importance of home health care to those who need the services, and the skills and caring attitude of workers who provide them,” Stadelman told PHI.
“The services are also cost-effective for the state,” he added.
Sue Scherer, a Democrat running for the Illinois House of Representatives from the 96th district, also shadowed a home care worker last month.
The Illinois primary will be held on March 20.
Walk a Day
The four events were arranged by SEIU as part of its “Walk a Day in My Shoes” series.
In 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama participated in a “Walk a Day” event, following home care worker Pauline Beck as she conducted her daily work routine.
Beck was invited to the White House in December 2011, when Obama announced a proposal to extend minimum-wage and overtime protections to home care workers.
PHI also encourages legislators and candidates to shadow home care workers as part of its “Come Care with Me” series.
— by Matthew Ozga
