WHO – Wisconsin Homecare Organization

“The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother’s bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.” Little Red Riding Hood found that false advertising can be quite dangerous, and Wisconsin home care clients may soon learn the same.

The state budget bill includes would create something called the Quality Home Care Commission (QHCC) and it is a wolf in grandma’s clothing. Politically, it is being sold as something that will ensure that people who hire independent home care workers are getting a helper who meets basic levels of training and qualifications. Advocates are selling the commission as a way of raising the level of quality of care and protecting home care clients. The trouble is, it’s a lie.

Despite its name, the QHCC has nothing to do with quality of care. It has no ability to set either standards of care or of worker education. It has no ability to monitor or even measure quality of care. It has no oversight or enforcement ability to improve care. It is a wolf in grandma’s pajamas.

The danger will come when this lie is sold to home care consumers. They will trust that the QHCC worker will meet some standards of training and qualifications. There are none. They will trust that the state will monitor the quality of their care. It won’t. They will trust that there is a reason to believe a QHCC worker will be better and safer than someone just hired off the street. There isn’t. The only thing the consumer can know is that the QHCC worker has passed a criminal background check.

In effect, the state is putting home care consumers at even greater risk. Little Red Riding Hood’s peril was that, being fooled by the wolf’s disguise, she would trust too much. Our home care consumers’ peril will be that, being fooled by the state’s sales pitch, they will trust the QHCC worker too much. Unwarranted faith is a dangerous thing.

“’But, grandmother, what large hands you have!’

‘All the better to hug you with.’

‘Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!’

‘All the better to eat you with!’

And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red Riding Hood.”

That state should create and enforce minimum standards, but it isn’t – and pretending otherwise is dangerous.