John,

This pandemic has been so hard, but I have felt a lot of hope seeing how my community has come together over the past few months. I still have faith in people and my community, and until yesterday, I still held out some hope that our government would see what people are going through and offer the help we need.

But the Senate relief plan released yesterday is way too little, way too late. It protects businesses instead of people, and pretends like the pandemic is over and we can all go back to normal.

Family caregivers need real support from our elected officials. Join me and Caring Across Generations in demanding that the Senate pass real support for caregiving families, not handouts for businesses.

Just before COVID-19 hit my parents moved from Arkansas to Baltimore, where they now live less than 50 miles away from me. Having them closer was such a relief as a family caregiver. But then the pandemic struck and I haven’t seen them since. We felt like we finally had a grasp on things, and then COVID-19 created uncertainty and disarray.

All of that uncertainty has been increased by how the government is handling this crisis. The stimulus checks came when we weren’t sure how we were going to navigate the future with my parents’ high healthcare costs. But that was four months ago, and nothing has changed. We need more help.

Yesterday, the Senate finally released the HEALS Act, but it proposes too little for caregiving families like mine who desperately need support in this moment. Caregiving families deserve better. Sign our petition urging the Senate to prioritize family care, including paid family and medical leave, and investment in long-term services and supports and the child care system.

The Senate’s bill also doesn’t give any funding to state and local governments navigating this crisis, which means state programs people rely on will be strained. The bill isn’t all bad, it provides additional funding for telehealth for people like my parents, and protects seniors from Medicare spikes. But caregiving families need more than that… we need Family Care. What does a relief package that supports family caregivers look like? It means:

• Rebalancing long-term care by investing in Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS),
• A $50 billion investment to stabilize the child care system, and
• Paid family and medical leave and paid sick leave,
• Direct stimulus payments for families and continued additional unemployment,
• And funding to shore up state programs we rely on.

Honestly, it's hurtful that the Senate took so long to act. Our legislature not taking action to support us in this pandemic is flabbergasting. It feels like there is no end in sight. Caregiving families need real support, including extended unemployment, stimulus checks, paid family leave, and better care for aging adults and people with disabilities.

Sign the petition now and urge the Senate to support family caregivers.

I'm still hopeful there's something within us that demands we care for everyone and I think ultimately that will shine through for our elected leaders.

Take care,

Jeffery Kearney
Family caregiver