Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 3, 1 Malaki 2017 — Bill would help kūpuna age in place [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bill would help kūpuna age in place

was honored to be present on the Senate floor as a guest of Senator Miehelle Kidani during the opening day

ceremonies at the state Legislature this year and watch her election as vice president. It was also heartening to read in the program for the day the Senate's affirmation of its commitment to Ola Lehulehu - People and Communities. The Senate Majority leader wrote of being "energized to succeed" on several fronts: "climate change, preparedness, justice, and community well-beina."

He affirmed, as did the Senate President Ronald Kouehi, in his remarks, the Senate's attentiveness to "our values." I write to express the hope that those values will lead them to act on behalf of our kūpuna, to take the first step toward holding out a helping hand to family caregivers who are carrying the enormous burden of looking after aging loved ones at home. There are thousands of these silent, unheralded caregivers across the islands doing the heroic work of making it possible for kūpuna to age in their own homes and end their days in dignity. I know some of these quiet heroes. One of them is a colleague who probably could have worked another decade or more, but who chose early retirement so that he could help his wife, who has a career, to look after her mother. Her mother needs assistance with daily living. This eouple has rearranged their whole life to accommodate the needs of their kūpuna. The have moved out of their own home and moved into the mother's home so that she could have the comfort of continuing to live in her home without disruption. This is love. This is sacrifice. Things don't always work out in as orderly a way as it did for this eouple. Take the example of an unele I know in his 80s who is as stubborn as they eome!

He insisted he could manage at home by himself, taking in boarders, who unfortunately took advantage of him. His

children intervened and he eventually settled into a care home. But he still pines for his old home and dreams of retuming to that home someday. That is an unlikely prospect, but one that perhaps might have been feasible if we had better systems in plaee to help kūpuna age in plaee. The Kūpuna Care Assistance bill that is being advanced in the Senate is an important step in the direction of helpina family care-

givers look after their loved ones at home. It will provide a modest sum of $70 a day to pay for additional qualified help to assist with housework, take kūpuna to their hospital appointments or simply give the full-time family caregivers a brief respite. This is important because it will allow caregivers to continue working, take fewer days off for emergencies, and protect their own Ananeial well-being as they themselves age. Leaving their jobs prematurely impacts the caregivers' retirement ineome when they themselves will need it and causes businesses to lose experienced employees. The Kūpuna Care Assistance bill is something that benefits the whole community, not just our beloved kūpuna and their dedicated caregivers. If we are truly committed to our values, we will eaeh do what we ean to ensure that this small step toward giving our kūpuna the care they deserve in their sunset years becomes a reality in Hawai'i. I am lucky in that I still live independently and I have my children living on the same island. But I ean envisage a time when having professional caregivers help me and my daughters will be something we will weleome. I know I speak for many families and I hope our legislators are listening. ■

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Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey Trustee, Maui