Dear John,

It started as a normal Saturday in May, just one month before graduating with my Master’s degree after a grueling three years juggling a quasi-full time job, school, and co-caregiving for my sweet Tata, my maternal Puerto Rican grandmother who lived with us for the previous seven and a half years. As was my usual routine on the weekends, I was either working by myself or with my friends from my program, feverishly completing my thesis. On this particular weekend I went to a classmate’s house for just a few hours leaving my mother and grandmother at home so I could focus. Then it happened, I got the call that would lead to Tata being removed from our home and into permanent institutionalization — a nursing home.

It was just a fall that occurred in the house while my grandmother was trying to come back inside from my yard using her walker. One tiny little misstep and not having eyes on her for just five minutes led to a fractured wrist and fractured shoulder. Somehow after over two months of minimal recovery in short term rehab, we faced the prospect of either bringing her home where we would not be approved for the amount of full time home aid she needed, or institutionalizing her — ironically, THAT was covered. Four weeks later, as we were still facing the prospect of coverage for my grandmother’s stay at short term rehab expiring, my mother had a stroke just days before her 49th birthday.

Now the choice was made for me, or really for all three of us. I couldn’t handle managing both of their care by myself in the home without full-time coverage of at home support for my grandmother. We needed to keep her where we thought she would be safe and given the level of support required for her deteriorating condition. Did I mention I was only 27 managing these impossible decisions? That was almost four years ago, and I can’t tell you how much I regret that decision every day. Yet the question is — why didn’t we have a choice?

If only we had the legislative allies and political will that are present today; all of the hard work that has gone into developing the Home and Community Based Services Access Act (HAA) — a critical policy initiative focused on ensuring at home care services for Medicaid recipients are scaled up in every state allowing seniors and people with disabilities to age in place, with dignity, where they belong, with their families.

My name is Rebekah and I’m the new Individual Giving Manager at Caring Across Generations. I’ve been working with Caring Across for over three years as a volunteer also participating in the inaugural cohort of the Care Fellows in 2019. Learning about all the supports and services that would’ve made a difference in our own experience instilled an emblazoned passion in me to work on advancing policies that would help all of our families manage the inescapable fate that is providing and receiving care at every stage of life, especially as we age. This work, however, doesn’t come without a cost.

Organizing coalitions of fellow caregivers across the full spectrum of care — from disability rights advocacy, to paid family and medical leave organizing, to Medicare/Medicaid reform — can’t be done without critical funds which help us continue doing the work and outreach that creates the momentum needed to ensure we create the full system of support all of us need across the lifespan. Your gift of $25 or more right now is what allows us to keep organizing caregivers, keep changing our culture, and keep up the momentum to change the way we care. [[link removed]]

We have spent the last ten years framing what care looks like, who it affects, and what must be done to ensure our families receive the support needed to keep our workforce gainfully employed and our loved ones safe in the care of those who know them best and love them most. We sincerely thank you for being our allies in advancing a comprehensive care agenda up until now.

To ensure we maintain this groundbreaking legislative inertia, we need your continued generosity — especially as we are at the precipice of passing historic and transformative policies while the attention is finally on us and our experiences. The momentum is here and our moment is NOW. At this critical time, we hope you will consider increasing your support of our work by making a gift of $25 or more today! [[link removed]]

And to be even more impactful, a monthly sustainer gift is an easy way to ensure you’re consistently supporting the movement while multiplying your impact over time — $10 a month in one year is a $120 total contribution! [[link removed]] However you choose to give, we sincerely thank you for all that you do to ensure we are able to continue shifting the way care is viewed and how we are supported.

With Care,

Rebekah Azaylia Alexander,
Individual Giving Manager

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