Kimberly Sexton

My name is Kimberly Sexton and I have been a personal care assistant for 2 years. I care for Mr. McCullough who is a disabled veteran. As a personal care assistant I am on the front lines providing care for Mr.McCullough eight hours a day. I make sure he eats balanced meals, transfer him in and out of bed, onto the toilet, and into his wheelchair. I am also responsible for bathing him and cleaning his wounds and taking care of his bowel care.

I work full time, yet I get paid only $8.60 an hour and I have no health insurance. Our weekly budget is extremely tight. There are times when we have been late on the rent and I have had to go out to churches and ask for food and donations to pay the rent on time.

Since I don't have insurance, I have to go to the free clinic and wait several hours to see a doctor. If I get really sick, I can't afford to go the hospital so I just wait it out and hope it goes away.

I am very dedicated to this work and I think it is so important that Mr. McCullough is able to stay in his own home with his wife and doesn't have to go into a nursing home.

Unfortunately, the low pay, lack of insurance, and the extra unpaid hours that I work everyday makes it very hard on my family. I know I am not alone. There are thousands of women in Virginia who are personal care assistants just like me, who provide an important service, yet struggle to pay the bills every month.

I believe that we need higher wages and some benefits, like health insurance. If we had better quality jobs, we could provide better quality care.