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Dec. 8 — Professor highlights structural inequities faced by immigrant care workers
An editorial by the Family Caregiving Institute’s Heather M. Young titled “Essential Yet Overlooked: Structural Disregard for Immigrant Direct Care Workers” appeared in Research in Gerontological Nursing. She argues that immigrant direct-care workers — who provide essential care for older adults — are frequently neglected by health care and social-service systems. Though not a traditional research study, the editorial underscores how systemic neglect contributes to low pay, poor working conditions and lack of recognition for immigrant caregivers. Heather, along with co-author Barbara Bowers, calls on policy makers, nurse educators and health care organizations to acknowledge and address these structural injustices — to ensure immigrant care workers are treated as valued professionals rather than invisible labor.
