My name is Aretha Spady. I am a home care worker from north Philadelphia and on Friday, October 3rd, Tom Wolf walked a day in my shoes.
And let me tell you, he wasn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and do everything I asked. He made the bed, folded laundry, did the dishes and
swept the floors to help take care of Mr. Leroy, my consumer. Even more importantly, he listened to us as we shared our ideas for making the home care system better.
And there is a lot of room for improvement. Right now I make $10.50 an hour working 40 hours a week. I still can’t make ends meet and I live paycheck to paycheck. My job does not provide healthcare, sick days, or vacation. In fact, the last time I went on vacation was when I was a child.
Millions of Pennsylvania seniors and people with disabilities depend on having reliable, quality care and the majority want to receive it in their homes. Tom Wolf gets that. That’s why he supports making sure home and community-based services get the funding it needs to provide the best care. Governor Corbett, on the other hand, wants to cut Medicaid benefits for over million Pennsylvanians who rely on it to stay healthy.
For me, the choice is easy. I truly believe Tom Wolf is going to do what’s right by home care workers, seniors and people with disabilities. That’s why I am supporting him on November 4 and even after to make sure Pennsylvania has a health care system we can all be proud of.
Aretha Spady,
Home Care Attendant, Philadelphia