Medical aid in dying (copy)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Every day, Kayla Watson helps seniors and people with disabilities with their daily lives. She helps them bathe, manage medications and in some cases, avoid accidents that could otherwise send them to the hospital. 

"I've walked in and found one of my clients lying on the bathroom floor. They try to take a shower on their own, and she was laying there for about 45 minutes before I came in. I found her laying there and assisted her, getting up and making sure that she was okay," Watson said.  

Even with her 20 years of experience and three jobs, she still struggles to make ends meet with her wages.

"I sacrifice my own physical and emotional health. Yes, we do a lot. We have a lot that we sacrifice," Watson said.  

Watson works through the state's community care program. Now workers are calling for the state to pour more funding into the program and a $2 raise. 

"You times that by 40, I think that's an extra $80 a month with all the devastating cuts that were already facing where SNAP. I don't qualify for any of that," Watson said.  

Many caregivers in Illinois feel low pay is forcing them out of the field, leaving more than 20,000 seniors without home-assisted care. Watson said passion is keeping her in the field. 

"My heart. That's the person that I am. I love to help others. Regardless of [whether] they're elderly or just people with disabilities or just children, community members in general," Watson said.

The Illinois state budget deadline is May 31. Watson said if the raise is not approved, thousands of people who need home health aides could be forced into nursing homes. 

"One day they're going to need it. One day, they're going to need this program, or one of their loved ones is going to need this program. And if it's not valued today and given what it needs, the investment that it needs today. Then this program would be no longer," Watson said. 

Copyright 2026. WAND TV. All rights reserved.