2021 DPSS Annual Report Online_FINAL

Annual Report 2020/2021

Adult Services

Gage (at left) with his stepmom and caregiver Victoria Woodworth.

Family Steps in to Become an In-Home Caregiver Gage is a teenager living with autism, seizures and learning disabilities. When his mother abandoned him in 2018, Gage’s grandparents began caring for him. Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit, they were unable to continue meeting the youngster’s needs. older adults and those with disabilities live safely at home rather than in skilled nursing or other residential facilities.

Woodworth helps 13-year-old Gage learn to read and write. She assists with his personal care, such as bathing and getting dressed. As Riverside County recruits more IHSS caregivers, Woodworth hopes more people will consider the profession. “The Public Authority was really helpful,” Woodworth said. “They made it easy to download the needed paperwork and go through online training. It was a great experience, and I just want to give Gage a better quality of life. He’s worth it.”

That’s when his stepmom, Victoria Woodworth, stepped in. “They needed relief and he needed stability,” Woodworth said about her decision to leave her career as an accountant in Las Vegas and move to Lake Elsinore to take care of Gage fulltime. Early this year Woodworth became one of nearly 34,000 caregivers for the In-Home Supportive Services program. The homecare workers help more than 40,000

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