Care Collective

- Our Vision -

Building a NEW care infrastructure for seniors that shifts away from institutionalization towards community centered in-home care and supports care workers.

The Care Collective is part of the Healthcare & Economic Justice arm of JASC and encompasses our campaigns around long term care, nursing homes, care workers, including homemakers.

We believe that all people should be able to age in place, with an emphasis on community centered care over institutional care. We aim to abolish the current exploitative state of nursing homes by putting the power back in the hands of seniors!

The community care we envision values seniors and people with disabilities as well as care workers (home makers, caregivers, personal assistants, family caregivers, nursing home workers).

The Care Collective is comprised of two different working groups:

• Nursing Home Working Group - focuses on issues relating to inequity in nursing home safety and care, with additional emphasis on equitable wages and adequate training for nursing home staff and a divestment from institutional care in favor of community-based programs.

• Senior Care Alliance - focuses on issues relating to seniors’ right to age in place, as well as agitates for equitable wages and adequate training and support for family and professional care workers.

- Our Wins -

• Passage of Illinois Nursing Home Safety Act - July 2010

• Passage of Long Term Care Resolution in Chicago - 2019

• Formation of the Care Collective - May 2020

• Nursing Home Solidarity March Down Sheridan Road - August 2020

- Our Joint Goals -

• Build and grow a base of grassroots leaders with deep self-interest in the values of the Care Collective.
  
  
  
  

• Take power away from private institutions that exploit seniors and putting the power back into senior hands!
  
  
  
  

• State-specific goals:

  • passage of Universal Long Term Care in Illinois, which would center community care over institutional care and aging in place.  

  • Fighting proposed budget cuts to the Community Care Program
    
    
    
    

• National goals: The passage of Universal Family Care for All by 2030 starting with Universal Long Term Care in Medicaid and Medicare. UFC would be a system that every American pays into and would mean ANYONE could access care at any point in the lifespan and care workers/family caregivers would have protections, benefits, and supports. 

JASC and SEIU

FY22 Budget Demands

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Expand and improve home care services in the Community Care Program.

Adjust the per-person restrictions on service hours to improve care for 100,000 seniors, expand access to an additional 10,000 seniors, and guarantee that home care workers earn a living wage of at least $15/hr, providing job security for these workers and ensuring seniors are able to age safely in their homes.

Cost: $1.1 billion

Get Involved

Visit our Events page for information about the next Care Collective meeting.

For more information, contact Lilly Lerner at lilly@seniorcaucus.org.

Next Meeting:

Next Healing Circle:

We want to hear your care story!

Storytelling is an important way to combat the dominant narrative and create change. The Care Collective is currently collecting care stories from seniors in our community.

Do you have a story about care you have given or received? Fill out the form below and we will be in touch shortly to schedule an interview.

Visit our Story Collection to view and listen to archived care stories.