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Caring For Kupuna Is Huge Social Challenge - Honolulu, Hawaii
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 By Jim Cone
Hawaii is unique. One-third of its population within the next 10 years will be 65 years of age or older, which will make it No. 1 among states in terms of the number of elderly as a percentage of its overall population. Possibly because of weather, activity and kupuna eating healthy, kamaainas are living longer.
The hard fact, though, is that just because we are living longer doesn't mean quality of life comes with it. We are learning that with a lengthening life expectancy comes challenging work to care for it. The 50-year-old baby boomer generational mantra, "I hope I die before I get old," didn't quite work out and the boomers are as startled with the outcome as the previous generation was with their then-attitude.
So society now is asking: Now what?
Today, half of people 85-years or older have Alzheimer's disease. Dementia is now commonly appearing in people in their mid 50s. Some say 40 is the new 60, which I'll admit to be true on some days. The growing number of challenged elderly is alarming. Just because we are living longer doesn't mean all our moving parts will continue to keep up.
No matter what economic level of society you are in, Hawaii's communities seem to work hard, play hard and drive everywhere. We zig-zag ourselves and our families all over our islands, many from before the sun is up until far after it sets, then we come home exhausted. Sometimes, and much too often, we can hope our kupuna have been OK, have taken care of themselves as best they could and made it through the day without too many pains and aches or worse.
Many times our kupuna make it through their days alone, with many in unsanitary and even unsafe conditions. Families, friends and society are trying to help, but those who need care daily care progressively grow in number.
It is clear we care, but we do not understand the complexities of the challenge. The phone calls from churches, hospitals, senior residential homes, son or daughters come in: "Can you help us out?"
Loved ones in every community, in every nook and cranny of the state, are at their wits' ends, exasperated, weary or just plain "burnt out" from caregiving day after day, some year after year and too many have reached the ends of their ability to continue.
Federal and state programs are being cut, and there is a rumor that soon to be eliminated are the private sector's tax-deductible charitable donations to nonprofits. This would only feed the fire of collapse in elderly social services.
So what do we as a society do? Private nonprofits like Child & Family Service have established social enterprise businesses like Kupuna Concierge, creating a higher standard of business with competitive pricing to feed revenue back into important social programs where funding has been cut or is to be cut. CFS has provided a creative strong start to address Hawaii's aging challenge.
We can close our eyes, close our ears and say little, but you can be absolutely sure an elderly challenge will strike you when you least expect it. We can fix this. We need to think, and think hard, because we as a society do not have enough revenues to help all the different issues facing Honolulu, but everyone of us is or will be kupuna.
Featured on Star Advertiser Jan 20, 2013 |
ref no:13728 |
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