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Joanne Wittenbrook is a part-time home health aide with clients in Brecksville, Twinsburg, and occasionally other east side suburbs.

She helps her elderly clients 鈥� an especially vulnerable population 鈥� with household tasks and errands. But she herself is retired and in an older age group, so she could also have health issues if she caught COVID-19.

鈥淚鈥檓 very concerned for my clients. I鈥檓 also very concerned for my own health,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very scary time for all of us.鈥�

Wittenbrook retired from a full-time technical writing job almost two years ago and now works with two elderly clients. She cooks, cleans, and helps them with medical needs. She brings them to doctors鈥� appointments and to religious services, plays games with them, and talks with them throughout her shifts. She鈥檚 also a confidant and companion.  

鈥淚 develop close relationships with my clients and their families,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not just their aide, I鈥檓 also their friend.鈥�

Her clients now want to talk about the virus and their fears regarding the pandemic.

鈥淚 have one client that lives alone,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eriodically I can tell that she鈥檚 feeling frightened. I will often at the end of my shifts spend a couple hours with her to make her feel a little bit better and not quite so alone.鈥�

When Wittenbrook heard about the first COVID-19 cases in the United States, she made sure she had gloves, masks, cleaning supplies, and other equipment. She uses them when she goes grocery shopping for her clients and makes sure she wipes down anything she brings into her clients鈥� homes.

Wittenbrook disinfects items she brings into her clients' homes. [Joanne Wittenbrook]

鈥淚鈥檝e always worn gloves with clients. However, I made sure that I would be able to take extra precautions,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very careful when I bring things to them.鈥�

In addition to disinfecting groceries and anything else she brings into their homes, she also leaves things outside including her shoes and coat.

She says the pandemic is highlighting issues within the country鈥檚 health care system. Her job, she said, pays little more than people working in minimum wage jobs, a problem that has been brought to light by government groups including the Summit County Nursing Homes and Facilities Task Force.

鈥淚t just kind of shows that we don鈥檛 particularly value the care of our elders very much,鈥� Wittenbrook said.

She appreciates the personalized care she鈥檚 able to give her clients as a home health aide, but she worries about risking her and her family鈥檚 health by going out every day to help her clients.

鈥淚 know my clients really values me, but I don鈥檛 think society as a whole really values the kind of work that I鈥檓 doing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have retirement income and Medicare, I really couldn鈥檛 do this kind of work. It鈥檚 just not something that a person can sustain their life on.鈥�