In today's health industry, millions of Americans are silently struggling to care for their loved ones. Most of them hiring a nursing aide or a caregiver. Previously, JobsNHire reported that caregivers are leading a difficult life in order to take care of patients diagnosed with dementia.
What most don't know is that the lives of immigrant women who became caregivers have sacrificed so much in order to tend to the needs of others, according to the New Yorker.
The New Yorker reports on a woman named Emma. She had a humble background, living on a farm. She struggled to provide for her family and for herself - while studying. She worked in the library during the day and took classes at night. She was a corporate worker in the Philippines but she soon realized that her white-collar desk job won't be enough to send her kids to college. She flew to New York and became a nanny. She soon landed a job as a nanny in Chappaqua. She was paid $375 every week to take care of two little girls.
In 2001, a headline in the Philippine Daily Inquirer read, "OFWS Told: Stay Abroad." The article quoted President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo saying, "We are depending on the people outside the country. If you can find work there, and send money to your relatives here, then perhaps you should stay there."
That article reminded her the life she has left in the Philippines in order to provide for her children. Times were rough and she eventually found herself having to work part-time at night to make up for the needs back home. She sometimes slept for two hours a night. The whole day and night, she worked as a health aide and taking care of other people's children. The New Yorker has it that the salary is meagre: home health aides make an average of less than eleven dollars an hour. They receive little or no training.
But still Emma persevered. She continued to wake up at 5:00 AM to take care of other people's kids. Although Emma is desperate to see her children, she doesn't want them to follow her example. She doesn't like the idea that they'd be caring for other people's children and parents. "I think they will not be able to handle it," she says.
Are you also a caregiver or nursing aide? If you're experiencing stress, check out this JobsNHire article to learn how to cope with stress.
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