Transcript for Season 2 Trailer

U.S. Senator Bob Casey:  This is a workforce of more than 2 million Americans, mostly women and mostly women of color, making 12 bucks an hour, which is really an insult to the whole country when you think about it. 

Mindy Fried:  Coming Soon. Season two of The Shape of Care, a podcast that explores the world of caregiving. I’m your host, Mindy Fried. Over the next.4 episodes, we’ll bring you into the lives of care workers and the people they care for. We’ll focus on two very different worlds of care. 

Nursing homes, which many of us wouldn’t want for ourselves, let alone our loved ones. And home-based care, which is what most of us would want. To stay in our own homes. To get services as we need them, and to stay close to everything and everyone that’s familiar. 

Darlen Wagenius:  Oh, I’m desperate to stay in my own home, terrified to go to a nursing home, frankly, because I haven’t heard hardly any good stories coming out of any of them. 

Mindy Fried:  In Season Two, we look at the nature of care work, which is often unrelenting and invisible labor. And overwhelmingly provided by women, most often by women of color. 

Shazia Anwar:  I just told him, I said, You never feel shy. You need help. I knew your problems, but we have to make sure you are healthy. 

Mindy Fried:  Caregiving can range from shopping and bathing to advocating on someone’s behalf for higher quality care. Even for housing. 

Shazia Anwar:  We have so many channels. We try our housing for her. We have stayed on the list for almost two years now and section eight, Section eight. 

Mindy Fried:  It’s more than a series of tasks. It’s about the quality of relationships. 

Paula Fox:  This human being right here that doesn’t want to live anymore, that just don’t want to go on anymore. Well, if you put it in me to give to her some life, that’s what I’m going to do. 

Mindy Fried:  We explore new models of care, as the old models are failing. 

Dr. Ben Veghte;  For the vast majority of Americans, the system is broken. Long term care is unaffordable at the time that they need care. People can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket on a fixed income in retirement. 

Sterling Harders:  We have a lot to celebrate. At the beginning of the pandemic, starting home care workers were making 16 bucks an hour. And today, starting homecare workers are making $19.26. 

Mindy Fried:  As part of this series, we’ll want to hear from you. What are your experiences with caregiving? What are your questions? Subscribe to The Shape of Care on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. See you soon for The Shape of Care.