"This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like-Many seniors are stuck with lives of never-ending work—a fate that could befall millions in the coming decades," Alana Semuels, The Atlantic, February 22, 2018
It's two years old but relevant and well-written.
"Roberta Gordon never thought she’d still be alive at age 76. She definitely didn’t think she’d still be working. But every Saturday, she goes down to the local grocery store and hands out samples, earning $50 a day, because she needs the money.
“I’m a working woman again,” she told me, in the common room of the senior apartment complex where she now lives, here in California’s Inland Empire. Gordon has worked dozens of odd jobs throughout her life—as a house cleaner, a home health aide, a telemarketer, a librarian, a fundraiser—but at many times in her life, she didn’t have a steady job that paid into Social Security. She didn’t receive a pension. And she definitely wasn’t making enough to put aside money for retirement."
"Minority Women and Retirement Income," WISER, October 2020
."Retirement planning is important for everyone, but it’s especially important for minority women. Despite the overall decline in poverty rates among older
Americans during the last several decades, many older women remain poor. In 2018, the poverty threshold for an individual age 65 and older living alone was $12,043. More than 11% of women age 65 and older fell below that threshold, in contrast to 8.1% of men the same age.
Even if she is not poor when she first retires, the likelihood of being poor increases with her age. In 2018, 13.2% of women age 75 and older fell below poverty compared to 8.8% of men the same age. The poverty rates for older women of color are even higher. In 2018 the rate for older Black women living alone was 31.3%, and for Hispanic women it was 43%—a rate more than twice that of the 16.4% for White women. In 2018, among women 65 and older who lived alone, Hispanic women were the most likely to live in poverty."
"Economics of Retirement-The Retirement Crisis," Theresa Ghilarducci, 2020
"Most workers approaching retirement do not have enough saved to maintain their living standards in retirement, regardless of income. The typical older worker in the bottom 50% of the income distribution (earning less than $40,000/year) has nothing saved for retirement. The median savings of worker in the middle 40% (earning between $40,000 and $115,000/year) are only $60,000. Among workers in the top 10% of the income distribution (above $115,000/year), the median amount saved is $200,000.
Low savings mean that all income groups fall short of their target replacement rates – the percentage of pre-retirement income needed to maintain one’s standard of living in retirement – by over 20 percentage points. The typical worker in the bottom 50% of the income distribution needs 85% of their pre-retirement income in retirement to maintain their standard of living. However, they can expect to have only 60% based on their current savings and Social Security benefits. In the middle 40%, older workers need 75% of their pre-retirement income, but will be able to replace only 54%. Even older workers in the top 10% are likely to experience a shortfall. As retirees, they will need 65% of their pre-retirement income, but will be able to replace only 40%."
"Retirement Security: Other Countries' Experiences with Caregiver Policies, USGAO, GAO-20-623: Published: September 30, 2020.
"Family caregivers play a critical role in supporting the elderly population, which is growing at a rapid rate worldwide. However, those who provide eldercare may risk their own long-term financial security. Other countries have implemented policies to support caregivers. In recognition of challenges caregivers face in the United States, Congress directed HHS, in consultation with other federal entities, to develop a national family caregiving strategy. GAO was asked to provide information about other countries' efforts that could improve the retirement security of parental and spousal caregivers.
This report examines (1) other countries' approaches to support family members who provide eldercare, (2) challenges of these approaches, and (3) the status of HHS' efforts to develop a national family caregiving strategy. GAO conducted case studies of three countries—Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom—selected based on factors including rates of informal care (i.e., help provided to older family members or friends) and the types of policies they have that could improve caregivers' retirement security. GAO interviewed government officials and experts and reviewed relevant federal laws, research, and documents."
"Financial Steps for Caregivers: What You Need to Know About Protecting Your Money and Retirement," WISER, 2020
"In millions of households across the country, an adult is providing full or part-time care to an older family member or friend. If you are not currently a caregiver, there is a good chance you will eventually provide some level of care to someone at some point in your life.
Caregiving responsibilities are challenging and time-consuming. It is important to understand that caregiving can also have serious financial consequences. Women continue to be the primary caregivers and are therefore at even greater risk of experiencing financial setbacks.
Some of the financial consequences of caregiving are obvious. Women often will work part-time, stop working, decline a promotion requiring longer hours, or pass up a job or training opportunity requiring travel. Women making these compromises at work often forfeit pay and benefits, miss, out on opportunities for compounded returns on 401(k) matching contributions, and experience reduced savings and investments. There are also more subtle consequences. They may be unable to pay for home improvements that could increase the resale value of a residence, or to pursue additional education and degrees that could increase their earning power."
"Costs to informal carers for people in the last three months of life are larger than those to formal," King's College London, EurekAlert!, November 5, 2020"Findings from an international study into the costs and outcomes of informal end of life care have today been published BMC Medicine.
The study found that in the UK, Ireland, and the US, care provided by informal carers, meaning family and friends, accounted for more than half of total care costs in the last three months of life. Researchers concluded that there was an urgent need in all three countries to improve the integration and support for dedicated community palliative care services to improve the care quality and support people across the whole journey of care.
The study surveyed 767 carers in three countries about the last three months of life for the person they cared for. "
"State of Denial-Inside Arizona’s Division of Developmental Disabilities," by Amy Silverman, Arizona Daily Star, and Maya Miller and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica, 2020
Not about Wisconsin but a great example of public interest journalism. There are several articles. ProPublica is a great source for non-partisan public interest journalism.
"Arizona’s services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are supposed to be the best in the country. But the state is failing to deliver."
"The Neglect of Disability Care-Home care workers and unpaid caregivers who support disabled people are often left out of public-policy initiatives." By Sara Luterman, The American Prospect, October 20, 2020
Repost.
"Alice (not her full name) has been a direct-support professional for 12 years. Direct-support professionals are paid caregivers who support disabled people, particularly those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Alice describes herself as “Hispanic, originally from Texas,” and she currently lives in Ohio. By her own reckoning, since the pandemic began, she has been working 80 hours a week, helping her clients use the bathroom, shower, and otherwise go about their daily lives. “I have to cover hours that are not covered by other staff,” she explained over instant messaging. Alice makes $11.75 an hour, but gets paid time and a half for overtime, at least. She has also been receiving “hero pay,” which is just a couple of extra dollars per hour. She doesn’t know how long that will last. When asked about unionization, Alice replied, “I don’t know what that is.”
"Food Insecurity is Directly Associated with the Use of Health Services for Adverse Health Events among Older Adults," Ariella K-L Spitzer, Marisa P R Shenk, James G Mabli, The Journal of Nutrition, October 22, 2020
"In 2018, 14.3 million US households experienced food insecurity, which has been linked to negative health outcomes such as depression and anxiety, diabetes, and hypertension. This connection is particularly important for older adults, who are at greater risk than younger adults for developing certain health conditions."
"Food Insecurity Edged Back up after COVID-19 Relief Expired-Findings from the September 11–28 Coronavirus Tracking Survey," Elaine Waxman, Poonam Gupta, and Dulce Gonzalez, Urban Institute, October 2020
"Food insecurity decreased early in the pandemic between late March/early April and mid-to-late May, after stimulus checks were released to many Americans and a $600 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits was implemented. However, food insecurity edged back up the month after the unemployment benefit boost expired. In September 2020, one in five adults reported their households had experienced food insecurity in the prior 30 days, an increase of 1.7 percentage points since May 2020, ..."
"Coronavirus cases surging in nursing homes," Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press in the Wisconsin State Journal, November 9, 2020
"An analysis of federal data from 20 states for The Associated Press finds that new weekly cases among residents rose nearly four-fold from the end of May to late October, from 1,083 to 4,274. Resident deaths more than doubled, from 318 a week to 699, according to the study by University of Chicago health researchers Rebecca Gorges and Tamara Konetzka.
Equally concerning, weekly cases among nursing home staff in surge states more than quadrupled, from 855 the week ending May 31, to 4,050 the week ending Oct. 25. That rings alarms because infected staffers not yet showing symptoms are seen as the most likely way the virus gets into facilities."
"Nursing homes, after seeing improvements, now face a fresh COVID-19 threat," by Matthew Mosk, Soo Rin Kim, Laura Romero, and Halley Freger, ABC News, November 2, 2020
"Nursing homes across the country are bracing for a dark winter as rising coronavirus infections appear to be reversing trends that had showed an improved outlook for the nation's most vulnerable, an ABC News review of state-by-state numbers reveals.
"As case counts rise in communities around the country, nursing homes and providers in other congregate care settings are under siege," said Katie Smith Sloan, president, and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services. "Despite the improvements in testing, older adults in nursing homes -- and in all care settings -- continue to be under threat from this pandemic."
Overall, the toll on seniors has been grim. Through late October, coronavirus deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities have now topped 82,000 in the 41 states for which figures were available, according to ABC News' analysis of state-released data."
"How Wisconsin women are navigating the 'shecession' -- the COVID-19 crush that has disproportionately affected women's jobs and lives
For occupational and cultural reasons, women bear the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic," Kathy Flanigan, and Sharon Roznik, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 5, 2020
On Wisconsin.
"Knitting together a living by juggling two or three jobs. Caregiving for grandparents and children, then putting on scrubs to do the same at a residential facility. Stretching groceries to last another month while launching a niche business to try to bring more money home.
Many women were having perilous and challenging lives before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
C. Nicole Mason, president of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, dubbed the economic cave-in brought on by the coronavirus a "shecession" for its disproportionate effect on America's women."
"Lost on the Frontline," By The Staffs of KHN and The Guardian August 10, 2020
The numbers are "dated." A lot more folks have died since this was written. The story is the same. Repost.
"America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical personnel account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food, and cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides.
“Lost on the Frontline,” a collaboration between KHN and The Guardian, has identified 922 such workers who likely died of COVID-19 after helping patients during the pandemic. We have published profiles for 164 workers whose deaths have been confirmed by our reporters."
"The COVID-19 hazard continues, but the hazard pay does not: Why America’s essential workers need a raise," Molly Kinder, Laura Stateler, and Julia Du, October 29, 2020
"The United States has entered a third peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with cases spiking across the country. Many experts anticipate that the winter months will be the worst yet, and a new study projects that the U.S. could surpass 500,000 COVID-19 deaths by the end of February. As we begin this even deadlier phase of the pandemic, the country’s 50 million frontline essential workers are among the most vulnerable. Are they receiving fair compensation for the worsening hazards they face on the job?"
‘Infodemic’ complicates Wisconsin’s public health fight against coronavirus-Misrepresentations of COVID-19 data are spreading on social media, making it harder to slow the pandemic," By Will Cushman (WisContext) November 6, 2020
On Wisconsin.
"When the coronavirus started spreading around Wisconsin in the spring of 2020, Dr. Chad Tamez hosted Facebook Live sessions to help patients understand the mysterious new pathogen. But the family physician in West Bend stopped the online tutorials after a few weeks as the pandemic became increasingly political.
More than a half year later, the medical world has expanded its understanding of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Multiple vaccine candidates have reached late-stage trials, and epidemiologists have mapped how the virus spreads and attacks the human body. Those advances draw on rivers of data about COVID-19 — flowing daily from medical and public health researchers in Wisconsin and worldwide."
"Election Day Was Only The Start: The Fair Maps Fight is Heating Up in Wisconsin," Christina Lieffring, Up North News, November 9, 2020
On Wisconsin.
"Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support efforts for election maps to be drawn through a nonpartisan process, a popular public opinion that stands in stark contrast to the past actions of the GOP-controlled Legislature.
This past Election Day, 11 counties and three municipalities across Wisconsin —from Bayfield to Door, Kenosha, Crawford, Dunn, and Waushara—had advisory referendums on their ballots, asking if voters wanted the Legislature to adopt a nonpartisan redistricting process.
All of the referendums passed by wide margins. The closest was in Rusk County where 57% voted in favor. The widest margin was in Bayfield County with 77% in favor. That matches up with the results of previous referendums and a Marquette Law School Poll from January that showed while voters were split on party lines on many other state issues, one area where they found common ground was wanting a nonpartisan commission to draw political districts."