Caregiver crunch continues across the river region

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - There’s a hefty workload without enough people to fill the shoes at the Tri-Development Center of Aiken.

The center has more than 65 residential support positions open.

“Regardless of whether or not we have enough staff, we still have to continue our level of care,” said Lillie Newbill, assistant executive director.

That’s led the center back to the drawing board, spreading already depleted resources even thinner.

And that’s why the center had a career fair Wednesday.

“What we have are people who are working in different homes. We have different home settings. And we have to pull people from different areas to cover those vacancies, because then we also have people calling out,” Newbill said.

So the center’s just waiting for someone to step up.

“I actually was working with someone that had a disabled child, and he really needed help, and that just encouraged me to go into the field to help others,” said Dashana Williams, a residential support provider applicant.

Although the minimum qualification is a high school degree, caring is at the top of the list.

“There’s a line there, who is considered quality and who is considered the most caring,” said Connie Mancilla, a licensed practical nurse with the center. “I believe that we can take a caring individual, a caring person and make them into a quality person.”

And quality one day turns into quantity.

“I just think people are more so afraid to jump back in there,” Mancilla said. “But if you are a health care worker, and you know that your primary goal is to care for people, you need to get back out there because we’re needed.”

To apply for those jobs, visit https://aikentdc.org/tdc-careers/jobs.

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