DCA

We are a nationwide and state-based alliance of direct-care workers, employers, and people of all ages and disabilities who use long term services, care and supports. We are united to build an empowered and valued professional direct care workforce essential to ensuring high quality services, a life of dignity, respect, autonomy and opportunity for all to participate in community life.

Founded in November 1998, the DCA's mission is to improve the quality of care for consumers through the creation of higher quality jobs and working conditions for direct-care paraprofessional workers. The DCA promotes recognition that direct-care paraprofessionals are the foundation of good care, particularly for long-term care clients.

Consumers, workers, and concerned providers, we have joined together to ensure a stable, valued, and well-trained workforce to meet the urgent demand for high-quality paraprofessional caregiver services. Our coalition believes that every American is a stakeholder in ensuring that older adults and people with disabilities have access to high-quality paraprofessional care.

The coalition is working together to find ways to improve the quality of jobs for frontline caregivers. We seek to achieve fundamental change in both public policy and provider practice, recognizing that 70% of the funding for direct-care workers is provided through public financing.

We define a quality job as one that:

Pays a living wage and provides healthcare benefits.
Ensures reasonable workloads.
Provides adequate training to ensure that workers have the skills necessary to care for clients with increasingly complex needs.
Provides opportunities for advancement.
Commands the respect of consumers and providers.
Gives workers the opportunity to provide clients with the humane and sensitive care they deserve.

The following organizations donated their time and expertise to lay the foundation for the DCA:

American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Area Agencies on Aging
Cooperative Home Care Associates
Iowa Caregivers Association
Lake Wood Health and Rehabilitation Center
National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform
National Network of Career Nursing Assistants Program
New York State Certified Caregivers Association
OWL, The Voice of Mid-life and Older Women
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
Pathways to Care
Providence Mount Saint Vincent Nursing Home
Service Employees International Union
State Nursing Home Ombudsmen Programs
The Pioneer Network
Virginia Association of Professional Nursing Assistants