Obviously the writer and most of those who made comments seem to be people who either have enough money to provide both childcare and eldercare/long term care for themselves or an ailing family members without blinking an eye. As a public health professional, who spent the majority of my career providing support, consultation, ed\ucation and referrals to hundreds of families and family caregivers–many living a great distance from their loved ones, I found most were distraught due to the huge costs of obtaining care in the home or in a nursing home for someone who needs assistance with activities of daily living. In case you aren’t aware–Medicare does not pay for this! Most of the people who fall into this category are hard working people who are supporting themselves and their families and can’t afford the costs of over $20+/hour for a home health aide or $5,000/month for long term care in a nursing home. Medicaid pays for some of this, but I am not talking about people who are at the lowest levels of incomes who qualify for these benefits. I’m talking about middle and upper middle class families who can sustain these kinds of expenses for themselves and family members. Many older adults have to spend down whatever assets they have in order to qualify.for Medicaid to pay for in-home or nursing home care. What do people do? Many take unpaid leave from work and some leave the work force all together, costing employers a great deal of money in lost productivity and retraining new employees. That is why the Biden administration has called this infrastructure, just like the roads we drive on to work — if we are able to work due to family responsibilities. This doesn’t just prevent lost productivity, it helps to create more money for employers and ultimately the country’s economy! We are the only developed country that does not provide at least some support to all of our citizens for elder care and childcare.– which is another story altogether. We need a new definition for “investment” Investing in people goes a long way to improving our opportunities, prosperity, the economy and our quality of life.
Obviously the writer and most of those who made comments seem to be people who either have enough money to provide both childcare and eldercare/long term care for themselves or an ailing family members without blinking an eye. As a public health professional, who spent the majority of my career providing support, consultation, ed\ucation and referrals to hundreds of families and family caregivers–many living a great distance from their loved ones, I found most were distraught due to the huge costs of obtaining care in the home or in a nursing home for someone who needs assistance with activities of daily living. In case you aren’t aware–Medicare does not pay for this! Most of the people who fall into this category are hard working people who are supporting themselves and their families and can’t afford the costs of over $20+/hour for a home health aide or $5,000/month for long term care in a nursing home. Medicaid pays for some of this, but I am not talking about people who are at the lowest levels of incomes who qualify for these benefits. I’m talking about middle and upper middle class families who can sustain these kinds of expenses for themselves and family members. Many older adults have to spend down whatever assets they have in order to qualify.for Medicaid to pay for in-home or nursing home care. What do people do? Many take unpaid leave from work and some leave the work force all together, costing employers a great deal of money in lost productivity and retraining new employees. That is why the Biden administration has called this infrastructure, just like the roads we drive on to work — if we are able to work due to family responsibilities. This doesn’t just prevent lost productivity, it helps to create more money for employers and ultimately the country’s economy! We are the only developed country that does not provide at least some support to all of our citizens for elder care and childcare.– which is another story altogether. We need a new definition for “investment” Investing in people goes a long way to improving our opportunities, prosperity, the economy and our quality of life.
Thank You Nancy, well said!